EvE Online - A Ghost Blog

Planet X

2012-01-12T11:54:00.002Z

As a space faring society we are fortunate enough to choose our destiny, we are not bound by the recurring prophecies of the end of the world. Some say that theirs will be within the next year, but to remain in situe is a religulous decision and is attractive for only one reason, the spectacular view of celestial armageddon.

If you're planning for the end, then sod the resolutions, sell-up now and be first in the queue. It's possible to ask a kind pirate if they wouldn't mind awfully inviting you to see the maker, and whilst in conversation with whatever the god happens to be, ask them whether the right moment was chosen to finally die?

That's the new rule aboard my ship - if you talk of the prophecy, I'll oblige with murder. But with so many frenzied fanatics hurling themselves into the void, it should make for a bumper year for booty. So ready your villains for the spectacle of fear this year, it's the beginning of the end - exactly what I've been waiting for...

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Merry Misery

2011-12-16T12:58:00.002Z

With the advent of annual festivities underway I again feel a personal duty to ensure that some of us have a rotten yule tide time. Targets are indiscriminately hunted for their wares and smack-talk retorted with rehearsed vulgarity.

Mr black heart writhes with turmoil no doubt due to the sickening status quo of good will to fellow souls, but to maintain perspective upon our collective unconscious desire for pain and suffering I am delighted to continue my mandate of destruction, dashing hopes of merry-ness through obliteration of deep space vessels venturing the void for any sake.

New Eden is not a delight – its beauty surpassed only by the inherent danger skulking beyond the superficial surface. Space is cold, black and infinite and cares not for traditions of solidarity, save for the maintenance of its infamous tendency to take lives. A tradition I am bound to endorse.

Merry X-mas

Sexy EvE

2011-12-16T01:41:00.000Z

...with a sprinkling of winter expansioness.

Kerbal Space program

2011-11-21T21:52:00.003Z

I can imagine that, at some point in the race towards the stars by the varying adolescent races within New Edens' technological wastes, the respective engineers would've had to endure many horrors manifested by the deaths of hundreds, nay thousands of brave astronauts whom rode their experimental space crafts into the unknown. The eventual conquering and domination of the stars owes much to these souls and their bravery can be relived thanks this fantastic new launch simulation; Kerbal Space Program.

Still under development but free to download, KSP is a unique exploration of space flight that should be experienced by our community. Technically it can get quite complicated, building a launch vehicle capable of escaping the gravitational pull of a planet contains many hazards to overcome. A real challenge, yet very rewarding once it's mastered. I personally can recommend this program, if only to appreciate the difficulties faced by the intrepid explorers of the early evolution of New Edens' space race.

Local Vistas

2011-11-10T20:23:00.056Z

Nebulae in New Eden are currently the quietly repetitive backdrop to all we do in New Eden. I never paid much attention to them as I always felt their presence was unrealistic, and poorly executed. Their randomness appeared to have no relation at all to the area of space one was viewing from and even though your ship could be the opposite side of the known galaxy, the backdrop to space was always the same tired collection of blue, green or red dusty wallpapers. Indeed the development team forged these images from clouds of ink within a murky fluid a decade ago.

But there is hope; nebulae will now become a useful tool of location recognition. During the video shown Ben Bohn explains how they will be located between systems, and if you travel further toward a nebula by jumping systems; its appearance will alter depending on the distance from the nebula you are. And it's not limited to one nebula either; by layering multiple nebulae from several locations in the constellation, each time you move around the star-map the size and angle of the nebulae will alter again, dependant on the location of your viewing.

This new technology will enable New Eden's backdrops to appear unique in every system injecting some much needed variation to the star littered backgrounds. Local knowledge will play a key role in knowing exactly where you are in the constellations simply by looking at the nebulae surrounding the views, more so than simply the name of the system; a direct comparison with the view will grant an unparalleled understanding of the geography of each constellation.

I expect this will allow exploration to be a little more of a discovery; each new backdrop unique to it's host system. Perhaps CCP can go a step further and allow the exploration of the interior regions of nebulae; possible lawless pockets within the Empires harbouring great bounties of some kind to lure in potential prey - well, that's something I want for my own sake, for pure pew pew.

It's a feature I'm sure will go a long to way to making each system more than a collection of planets surrounding a solitary star. But I'm unsure how this would work at the edges of the galaxy and whether the same idea can work within a wormhole; the latter proposition possibly allowing the puzzle of positioning the wormhole pocket amongst the catalogue of known nebulae in the galaxy. Only time will tell I guess...

(I had the same idea a few years ago, but I always figured it too petty a problem to post. I hate hindsight...!)

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Colonial Marines

2011-11-03T21:24:00.001Z

The apparent infinity the universe presents must surely give rise to life which, when encountered can promote the most terrifying of situations. It's accepted that Aliens is one of the greatest Sci-Fi Horrors ever committed to film; a tale of desperation and survival against a deadly alien race. One can only marvel at the impression this games leaves - it's Aliens; but playable!

System Failure!!!

2011-10-13T21:34:00.002+01:00

After a brief spell of rest and relaxation attending the slave blood fights courtesy of the Blood Raider faction. I returned home to Sarum Prime VI to find my POD un-usable despite the recent respite. I can only attribute the system failure to a lack of maintenance and its blame rests squarely on my shoulders. It’s needless to say that my presence in New Eden has become temporarily interrupted.

I trust that it’s a foregone fact; the regular maintenance of ones POD is a must as neglect will result in one eventuality; total system failure. An engineer has already been summoned but the prognosis is not desirable; a complete rebuild of the POD. I have no information on how long the re-fit may take, only that for the moment the space is clear around my hunting grounds, fly safer.

Happy (plentiful) hunting…

Me Tube

2011-10-08T21:39:00.004+01:00

Annually I'll unplug for a while to reset my warp-core, my humanity and attend to some issues unrelated to New Eden. I've compiled a channel of videos, still in early development, but with content that you may find relevant when you too unplug from the fray. Enjoy...

Moderation

2011-09-20T17:14:00.001+01:00

With no relation to our sordid sadistic sandbox – just a note to advise that; due to the number of page rank seeking comments received on this site, I’m moderating subsequent comments posted. This will mean that any personal posts will not display immediately, but be assured they will be listed providing they are on topic.

Thanks for yer participation y'all.

A View to a Kill

2011-09-18T13:05:00.009+01:00

I'm grateful that un-docking in New Eden is blind, that is to say that any docked pilot, save for 3rd party intel, cannot observe the local space outside any station they are docked within. This makes for some brave yet ultimately foolish decisions, particularly considering the value attached to the vessels involved, and can, in the correct situation provide an easy kill, albeit usually accompanied by hostile fire of the local station and it's attempts to discourage the unprovoked, relentless attack.

There are rumours that this mechanic may be changed, that the majority consider this a flaw with the stations security protocols and that the safety of individuals seeking refuge in a hostile universe should be a prime consideration in these situations. Inevitably any change to this dynamic would not prevent such prowling as; with nature, a predator will find a solution. Even so, modifications must be carefully considered as perhaps the actual effect of any change may encourage false assumed safety, promoting elevated confidence in the target, only to now be a million miles from the station when ambushed.

This is clearly not the best kill scenario, but it provides a challenge; attempting to obliterate any dumb witted feeble tank in time thus escaping intact with minimal residual attention. Try it, but be slick.

Happy hunting...

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Derelict? Delectable!

2011-09-04T21:11:00.007+01:00

Clearly this is exactly what CCP want to accomplish in New Eden. Nothing comes close to the imagined intrepid dangers that lie in wait within all those abandoned station wrecks, ghost ships or sleeper sites. The idea is that these hulks of metal design house a complex structure - explorable vaults of discovery - making our universe a million times massive by allowing the wandering of such sites.

Mark my words: A plan for the future, and a grand one at that.

Snatch Wars

2011-08-19T23:45:00.002+01:00

Pure genius!

Re-incarna-tion

2011-08-18T21:15:00.006+01:00

I’ve conceded creation to CCP - the incarnation of my avatar; Mr NOXx to the captains quarters. I have reckoned the attempt is recognisable enough, but the ability for amendments is not something I have to pay for so I may continue to evolve my image as I see fit. So after 400 years I can finally change my clothes!

I like having legs, to stretch – despite the confinement to quarters. My various craft are quite a sight from the hangar balcony, but do not ‘hover’ in relation to any docking ring inside the station, it would seem that I have the best quarters every-time I enter the station looking straight down the hanger, which is nice, yet odd. With the docking now allowing pilots to infect further into a station interior than before possible, a momentous gentle glide into position is still absent, only the jarring black screen and progress bar then the unwelcome words ‘loading’ (which is typical of New Eden) welcome each visitor, but at least the option to disable the station interior is granted allowing for rapid deployments with no session timer to endure.

Without the interaction of other pilots it feels sterile and desperately void of any life save for my own but this will be addressed in time once the station interior is breathe-able for clones. It will be interesting to see 1k pilots mingling inside a station environment, particularly as this is sometimes problematic in the void.

Still, I relish the walking and sitting(a rare occurrence) and the cyclical view screens, the fundamental design of the quarters and indeed, not much impresses more than to behold the glorious sight of an Amarr battleship, at scale!

Decision Preservation

2011-08-03T09:26:00.006+01:00

Regarding the recent revamp of the uber-tanking T1 Amarr cruiser; the Maller, I find myself confused by the theft of the previous incarnation which was apparently securely docked in HQ. Most of these ships involved a personal purchase decision, some for aesthetics and many for ability but despite this freedom to choose, this ‘right’ is not expressed when designs are revised.

I’d like to see the revisions active only from the point of sale/invention of either final product or blueprint, thus all the old hat ships would remain be present in New Eden, but any created after the revision date would use the new model, bestowing a two tier appearance for the vessel. Some may conclude that this may affect the prices of either new or old ships, then so be it, variation is key and choice; desired.

I’d speculate the presence of an asymmetric Scorpion may become a curiosity as it became less common, and may also help establish a culture of preservation for vintage vessels, a luxury akin to faction ships. This new found fame may even affect the role of the ship and its accepted fitting config, whilst adding variation to the ships; short of visible damage, corporate logos or a standard paint job. As I’ve mentioned before; the beauty of New Eden is its vast choice, available to all, big or small, so please preserve the choices we choose; powers that be.

Happy (vintage)hunting…

The Metro

2011-07-21T11:20:00.014+01:00

Not surprisingly there's an affinity to Metro2033's design ethic and the world of New Eden. Neither can claim to be more claustrophobic or menacing, but certainly the Metro is much more grimy. An inspiration perhaps for CCP to glance and allow a little dust to grace the air filters, if only to reinforce the notion that we live, that we are flesh and that we sweat tears and blood.

Metro2033 is a clear winner where thick atmosphere is an asset, and I pray that one day New Edens' abandoned stations may boast similar environments for us to lay within, injured and desperately alone.

The sequel promises to smooth the jagged edges of the previous incarnation, and my breath is held for a due release, just as it will be when I'll finally find myself once again lost within the catacombs of this post-Apocalypse nightmare without a gas mask. Lovely...

"I Was There"

2011-07-14T17:44:00.002+01:00

But I was cloaked, snatching stragglers from the field at will and enslaving them into a vastly shortened life of intense labour and cruel pain upon my personal demon planet.

The Future is Now

2011-06-18T23:35:00.008+01:00

EvE Online has finally felt the impression of the most simplistic, yet empowering ability; to wander the spaces of stations. The Captains Quarters upgrade is a milestone in New Edens persistent development which many have longed for so very long. Although only a short meander between the hangar and the quarters, it shows just how grand the scale is intended, and allows a more natural connection to the avatar than before.

I'm convinced that the freedom posed by this patch is the beginning of a new phase in EvE's life cycle and popularity, which must grow relentlessly. New players not before considered self suited to this environment will relate quicker to a humanoid form to within PODed spacecraft, perhaps why new players by default are configured to start with legs.

But since CCP announced 'Ambulation' so many moons ago, many more contenders have risen in this genre. Some already boast of walkable stations, some claim to be free. But due to sheer perfectly realised complexity, EvE Online can still comfortably claim the best sci-fi game in the world; but the perfect equation of game elements still eludes developers due partly to decisions made during EvE's conception.

The mind control interface between our thoughts and the ship we are plugged prevents us moving naturally as we may all now become accustomed. The decision to have this interface: the POD, may haunt the development of future features such as ship interior interaction. The love affair we have with our vessels should surely eventually extend into the natural form of walking so we may really feel inside the ship, thus the game.

I imagine rising from slumber on an abandoned outpost I discovered orbiting a moon. Wandering on-board a glorious Amarr battlecruiser, I take stock of the systems and instruct the outpost security script to unlock docking clamps and press helm to roll the mighty vessel onwards into the massively complex worlds of New Eden; jumping wormholes and invading sleeper sights, exploring the depths of their architecture, their lost secrets, pillaging whatever remains; holding victims of piracy or bounties, hostage aboard prison ships wreathed in defences; the prisoner considering suicide at the cost of billions in implants; secret meetings aboard cloaked ships hidden within silent nebula; and assassins deploying devious steps when privy to this knowledge. This ultimately adventurous dynamic was hinted during Fan Fest.

Looking back there have been attempts already at this common ideology. Mace Griffin; Bounty Hunter is a superficial example of this perfectly empowering ability; to connect with the heavens and the ground beneath. Star Wars Battlefront 2; Elite Squadron shows just what's possible at the minute level; an online universe in your pocket.

But the laws of New Edens ever evolving universe are certainly not set in stone, I've seen many ships become illegal, impossible or impractical. CCP persistently tackle issues with confidence and ingenuity and I'm sure of an 'upgrade' to allow such fantasy.

It's simply a question of time as the slow infection into the interiors of the stations begins. It may generate an entirely new demographic and may also introduce massively multiplayer twitch based interactions on-board gloriously giant station spaces, as demonstrated.

Whatever the future , EvE Online can claim not only ambition, but accomplishment. This is what makes EvE Online the future, now.

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Similarity Hilarity

2011-06-05T17:10:00.003+01:00

Behold the latest in telepathic ears and observe the amusing similarities between the native creatures infesting minmatar's wildness and the indigenous sentient race. Surely they are not the true concern...

"'till death us do part...perhaps"

2011-05-24T20:11:00.012+01:00

Ever since my mind was welded to a Jovian POD, I have rarely rested in the steel bosom of a station for more than a few days, preferring instead to remain cloaked within the vast void enveloping our worlds. The enduring infinite space quietly soothes my toils, I reflect upon sins born of rage then fire, whilst considering my future in this incredible virtual environment.

My inevitable conviction is that; save for the end of the world where I physically reside I’ll succumb to my mysterious demons for as long as breath remains within my lungs, failing to shy from the challenge of a lifetime of malevolence for the greatness of EvE Online, and the dissolution of prey.

I take solace in the presumption that I have found a path to my destiny and that New Eden is the theatre in which my horrors and honours are expressed. The consequence of this choice is to assume that, with the aid of potential technology, cyberspace may one day cradle my mind entirely, and when/if this happens I shall revere in the delectable experience that is EvE Online for as long as my mind virtually exists.

Happy(everlasting) hunting...

The Beauty of EvE Online

2011-05-14T16:38:00.009+01:00

We know EvE Online is rich with detail, impressive light bounces of tempting designs and volumetric effects bloom onto the display; I challenge any individual to find much fault with the comfortably grim spaces of New Eden.

Beneath the flamboyant aesthetics there lies a web of unique ideas, techniques and designs. Be it invention, piracy, skirmishes, faction warfare, manufacture, ratting, exploration, planetary harvesting, covert operations, border patrol, pvp roaming, industrial sabotage, empire control, ship building, market manipulation...>add

With Choice comes complexity and a powerful tool to control and define our desired destiny beyond any other world and to no greater scale than New Eden is capable; from eyes to stars. And due largely to the sandbox approach the universal content is created on the fly by our passing through the game-world and that interaction. Due to all the choices we make, the more complex the evolution of the status quo.

There is a cost to this choice; the constant spawning and increasingly consuming skill tree reminds us of our reality; mortality. Though our avatars have the capacity to out live our meaty entity. And with immense choice comes confusion; freshman often display bewilderment asking numerous basic questions upon entering New Eden's fray of fanatical ego maniacs.

But the chokes of choice are acceptable due to the sheer presence choice has in our lives; virtually. Without it EvE Online could be called simply; Space game. At present I find it hard to classify EvE into any assumed pigeon hole. One choice after another, EvE Online spawns an infinite labyrinth of interactions and transactions. It's the defining nature of what we do.

Happy choosing...

Related Links
EvE Bolg Banter 26; Beyond Nebulas and shiny ships

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Wonders of the Solar System

2011-04-27T11:06:00.003+01:00

There are many planes of experience, particularly where the fabric of the universe is virtually realised. In this documentary the renowned Gallente Physicist; Professor Brian Cox OBE, explains how the universe we experience is subject to the perception of the beholder and their state-of-mind.

Related Links
The Wonders

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Black Prophecy - A Free MMO Space Game

2011-04-18T12:14:00.011+01:00

Whatever your impressions of the new MMO space game; Black Prophecy, it's important to remember that it is completely free to download and play. Black Prophecy is a twitch based space combat, trading, piracy, PvP, exploration, etc; game where you play as one of the waring factions set around many incredibly wonderful vistas of the cosmos. Graphically it is hard to choose a victor between EvE Online and Black Prophecy, as environmental, ship and station designs are very similar in scope and detailing.

EvE Online has always been considered by many as expensive to play. It's also a very hard world to get ahead in, particularly if one is not able to commit vast tracts of real life to the game and, without consistent success it rewards very little in return. But despite it's harsh nature, EvE Online can claim to be the largest game world in existence featuring thousands of systems and a massive singlular persistant world. Black Prophecy is also a MMO space game but rather than entire systems to explore there are sectors, each with their own dangers present and unique visual styles. Due to the twitch based style control mechanics, the game boasts a cockpit view which is an omission CCP continues to ignore.

It's important to note that this type of online game is only possible through legitimate sales of world items in the absence of subscriptions. Upgrades and expansions to your ships capabilities can be acquired by looting wrecks and completing missions, or by simply exchanging real cash for parts. This business model is not entirely new, but I truly hope it works for the Reakktor team as I firmly believe that EvE Online mostly rewards the independently wealthy, or the socially inept with progress in the game world, which seems somewhat unfair tho those of us who have lives to attend or careers to nurture.

Although very early in it's life-cycle, Black Prophecy should become more complex and dynamic like EvE Online, but it's already much more financially viable and thus appealing, should you choose. Black Prophecy is here to serve those who, for whatever circumstance cannot continue to pay for play, but that still want a MMO game that is spacial and special.

Sometime in 2012 there will be a major update of the game world featuring walkable stations and rent-able clan zones. Although EvE Online has for years (feels like decades) been droning on about ambulation, none of this has become playable and indeed may become old hat in the great race for the ultimate MMO space game.

For Years CCP have rested on the laurels of their player base assuming that there is literally no competition, online anyway. But since it's Beta launch, I've witnessed an exodus of curious cats eager to discover a game world that offers as much depth, but without the compulsorily financial drain. Black Prophecy may therefore become a serious threat to CCP's monopoly in this style of MMO game. In truth, competition of this type can only serve to drive forward ideas and development further and faster than before, which usually means better and more diverse games for us all.

Both games offer differing styles of play but equally rich and beautiful worlds to play out your life among the stars. But It's up to you to decide which to play and, if you can't choose, like me, then play both, at will. There's room, I promise.

Related Links
Black Prophecy (official site)

The Story of Creation...

2011-04-17T10:50:00.010+01:00

Creation is the mother of all destruction. In nature our entire environment, including or very flesh and bone is subject to complete recycling of its base elements during it's existence. This is also true in EvE Online. In New Eden everything is mined, formed and destroyed repeatedly and, because obliteration relies solely upon the graces of the manufacturing minions, it's interesting to observe that it's these very 'creators' that piracy seeks out.

The delicate balance we see in nature is not necessarily true here, some resources return to the void as unclaimed wrecks without reformation, but mainly a kill tends to be looted at least, though not always completely.

Due to the linear flow of cause and effect, our prey has become the instrument of it's own demise. Their modules and ships and missiles and guns make them money and grant power for sure, but surely they know these items will be used at some point to take away that advantage, in the right hands of course.

It would be interesting to know that percentage; of encounters of this coincidence. I'm not unfamiliar to selling back to a victim his appropriated property, a very satisfying occurrence.

A universal assumption is that it is quicker to destroy than create. Necessitating the resolve of either party to do what they must to achieve their goals. Pirates live for the glory of the kill, for the hate mail, our flaming and notoriety. These lusts satisfied by a quick fix of explosive ecstasy until the next encounter, just as a predator skulks.

The remaining community of cosmonauts are clearly disposed to being lower in the galactic food chain, but perhaps more valuable than rats; certainly a greater challenge. But with every mass murder a pirate commits, it's done with thanks for the pandemonium, ferocity and the barbaric buzz of seeing the deconstruction of complexity at it's most sadistic. The habitual yang of the aspired ying of life and death in this elegant yet grotesque macrocosm.

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Tanks vs Spaceships

2011-04-13T04:23:00.004+01:00

Down to the rusty, nitty-gritty - a dusty vision...and free to play.

Related Links
World of Tanks (official website)

“Let there be more light!”

2011-04-12T19:20:00.008+01:00

As we continue to embellish the planets littering the void with resource plantations, imagine the awe if our control of their respective resources could be visible; visualize a world covered with lights dependant on where and what type of colony is installed upon or above the planets surface(s). Presently the only clear evidence of inhabitants are a few sparse icons viewable only if attempting to install a command centre.

Some planets represent glittering beacons of civilisation amongst the vast void, but they tend to be core systems and usually relate to population density or significance, eg: Amarr home-world.

There’s value to allow colonial pilots to imprint their claim upon a corner of terra firma, a splendid visual recognition of their commitment and accomplishment. This in-turn would produce a visually dynamic landscape with content updated indefinitely, making New Eden more diverse in it's appearance.

With the advancement of space flight and the turnover of resources that brings; there must be a supply chain of industry mining and manufacturing all these elements, much of which must come from the lost minerals of all the settled planets contained within the gargantuan galaxy. High density core systems would naturally have less resources as they have already seen the seeds of industry. Perhaps this effect is-in-fact what's erroneously absent from many planets; the hive of heavy industry plaguing the planet surface. These systems should illuminate; their lights huddled together in vast factories, linked by dusty pockets of faint fluorescence. A distinct difference to the lights visible only from within orbit, identifying the effect as indigenous or colonial.

The idea is subject to perversion; a trait typical of us all. Some may find ways of improper displays of some vile joke, the planet; a giant canvas for insult! One can only hope. There-in lies the problem with pilot created content. But long ago CCP should've realised one critical factor with this type of platform; the greatest asset New Eden possesses is it's community. We enrich the galaxy with our ingenuity and variation and it is this quality that CCP looks to embrace.

Happy hunting…

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Control Freak

2011-03-24T20:33:00.006Z

The POD's interpretation of our minds will upon the vessel's interface has barely evolved from the monster it bore; tiny tabs and minute buttons. The ability to remain calm under fire is surely very important if the orders of the mind are to be translated effectively through the POD and thus instruct the ship with reasonable speed or accuracy.

Thus the specific use of the ergonomic mouse interface is unwieldy at times. A better preference is the keyboard which is much quicker at translating instructions and negates the need for a high DPI device or a steady flat surface for successful use. One can, for instance, command the vessel no matter the physical position of your avatar – no hard surface required. This method of control then, is purely about tactical decision making and is limited only by the speed of the mind.

The powers that be should look again at the interface and introduce a method of control that does not require the pilot to have precision skills to hit minute buttons within the maelstrom of icons and boxes; the luxury of a large view-screen/high DPI mouse a significant advantage.

There’s already a plethora of programmable shortcuts available to every ship, but they do not include the cycling of targets, approach, orbit, lock, keep at range, warp – mostly navigational commands. I appreciate that many pilots may be content with the scheme as it is, but improvements can always be made. EvE Online must surely be more about decisions based on experience and tactical savvy, rather than the deftness to pilot an icon into a small box to take proper flight.

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Time to Kill...

2011-03-10T18:48:00.006Z

Running a corporation or an alliance must be incredibly consuming, especially as New Eden waits for no-one. Time; the most precious of all commodities.

I currently run my own miniature corporation; a population of half a dozen, but not to a level which would require my constant presence to protect industrial and territorial assets and maintain the obedience and respect of the group. And although I have also commanded my own gangs in battle I cannot confess to being tactically savvy enough to undertake the responsibility of a full fleet.

There are those that own/manage corporations set amidst the darkest voids in null sec and in our Empires. Their commitment to New Eden’s status quo is surpassed only by the powers that be (CCP). I’d assume these individuals to be independently wealthy or may have some other purpose granting the freedom to commit great swathes of lifetime nurturing their respective clans. The attributes of such individuals must converge on similar grounds, many may already be versed in the art of management and motivation to maintain the vast gaggle of egocentric players, all vying for their slice of fame/respect/fear/loathing.

To kill a CEO is one of my personal goals in this life, and would be an honour. Locating a CEO is easy but combat with such not so, I’d assume many don’t have the luxury to spend their time in the void occupying them-selves by whim, instead they are locked in a prison of their own making, micro managing various abstract interfaces. It’s not something I’d aspire to, although I understand the lure as I understand Miners and Makers.

A CEO’s ALT must be their most valuable asset if their identity is withheld. The ability to pass unnoticed through any non-specific space is something we take for granted, but a CEO of a particularly large/famed corporation/alliance cannot guarantee they will remain unmolested for any length of time if travelling alone. I expect many to use ALTs to lead a separate and completely different life to their main, a taste of the virtual freedom commonly enjoyed by the masses.

It is curious that we persistently relish stress, risk and loss for fun, friendship and faction loot! I have great respect to those elite few whom manage to manage on a daily basis much of the structure found within our galaxy. New Eden’s populace in majority needs leaders, pioneers and those with the courage to make the decisive decisions whether right or not. Without them New Eden would surely be a much lonelier and chaotic realm. Now if only I could find one outside.

Happy (CEO) hunting…

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The Star Trek Legacy

2011-03-06T14:09:00.010Z

Star Trek is the most successful franchise ever to grace a CRT. Star Trek has a massive worldwide following, and at the time was at the cutting edge of modern thinking when it was first aired. Star Trek's creator; Gene Roddenberry's integrity bucked popular opinion and it's creation made for one of the most important and unique programs of the 20th century. Before Gene Roddenberry's legacy it was unheard of to have a Russian(Chekov) working aboard a predominantly american-esque crew or a black female officer(Uhura) on the bridge of a powerful starship.

Although very dated by today's comparison, Star Trek's special effects were cherished by the millions that watched it and thankfully the tales it told were equally fresh, but after a life span of 3 series, Star Trek as we knew it was finally cancelled in 1969 due to poor ratings and writing.

In 1979 and after immense pressure from the sturdy fan-base; Star Trek was resurrected on the silver screen in: Star Trek; the Motion Picture, still one of my favourite films to date. Many years later and the franchise is still going and growing strong on several media fronts, including an MMO; Star Trek Online.

The quality of Star Trek can be debated many times over. It's clear that the pressure to keep the franchise alive led to some poor choices throughout it's long history, but it's depiction of a tolerant and inclusive universe, the curiosity of the human race to expand it's knowledge is well known and respected.

There are many reasons why Star Trek is still with us and it's Trekkie brand of fans penetrate every facet of the society; their passion for the idealised future will always be a part of our culture. Star Trek is here to stay and is welcome on my screen anytime, even when it's simply appalling.

Related Links
Star Trek (official website)
Star Trek; the Motion Picture (dvd)
Star Trek Online (official website)

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Pioneer Space Sim

2011-03-02T10:41:00.007Z

You may recall my disposition toward an ancient game called Frontier-Elite II. As a representation of our galaxy it was unmatched in scope, ambition and technical accomplishment. However, as our appetite for the visually sublime has snowballed, Frontier has not aged well.

Fortunately I am not the only freak passionate about such a sim and therefore a fan-made version is currently in development. I am pleased to link the alpha version which is fully playable, if a little unstable.

A Venusian sunrise - pressure 13.82 bar.

An ancient valley orbiting a gas giant.

Scoping for a landing site.

It's worth noting that Pioneer uses Fractal mathematics to generate its worlds. A great deal of trust has been put into the equations and it's very effective. There have been times I have been utterly astonished at the visuals produced by this homage. Every world is generated procedurally and it's this approach to simulating the cosmoss which is simple yet incredibly powerful.

A word of warning; as this is an alpha - save often and try not to run much else simultaneously for the best performance.

Related Links
Pioneer Space Sim (alpha download)
Frontier - Elite II
Chaos Pro (fractal generator)

Real 3D

2011-03-01T17:33:00.006Z

Eve Online is a virtual three dimensional game. To remove the 'virtuality' is to bring New Eden into the tangible universe. Aside from spending billions developing a machine that can somehow transplant binary into molecular mass I suggest building with the ancient legendary structure blocks, commonly know as Lego. Sure the craft wouldn't operate as expected without depleted uranium and capacitor, but that is entirely subject to the imagination of the beholder.

Upon enthusiastically raiding the old storage silos, I intend to build a life size Avatar! Now if only I had enough 2erds in yellow...

Related Links
LDD (download)

Related Soundtrack

Mr Anonymous

2011-02-13T11:37:00.009Z

With the advent of the new character editor I find myself abstaining from the silly sliders and monotone fancy dress. My choice to remain faceless, driven by the disappointment of losing my carefully created profile picture.

Despite technical reasons I'm annoyed that, after replacing my profile image twice and having to pay extra costs for the privilege, this image is now no longer possible using the fiddly inadequate suite. Whomever made this decision not to represent the same choices of clothes, hair and face as previously possible has seriously undermined mine, nay our right to choose how we look in New Eden.

I was perfectly happy with the way I looked but without the ability to recreate any image even remotely similar has forced me to make this choice to remain faceless. And besides, I kinda like being a ghost anyway, it's sort-of unsettling and may serve a greater purpose than my angry brow ever could. So until such time as CCP decides to grant us with the same choices we were blessed with previously, I will remain as a ghost indefinitely.

Petition: Can I have the cash that I paid to change my profile picture back in my pocket? I await a response, but I already know the answer...

Related Links
Profile/Bio

Related Soundtrack

The Dark Age

2011-02-11T22:32:00.004Z

Approximately 1000 hours ago my ISP spectacularly failed whilst I was deep in a class 3 wormhole snooping for Sleeper sites. Stranded in hostile space there was no choice but to melt into the void, for now.

But all is not lost as I have a loyal engineer en-route to my vessel, the cloak now severely deteriorating my sense of being, It took my crew 50 hours to fashion a garbled message into the core systems to request assistance from an ally. I have been assured that this engineer will meet me at the predetermined location within the wormhole to repair my vessel; the previous attempt assumed astray.

Once repairs have been completed I will return to the daily grind of grinding grumbling gamers in the virtual void. Did you miss me?

A Welcome Incursion

2011-02-02T17:11:00.003Z

And so it begins...welcome the children of the Sansha Nation, for they can teach us much of pain and death.

To Infinity; Beyond EvE Online

2011-01-11T20:29:00.006Z

EvE Online is attractive to me in many ways, but as far as I'm concerned, its glaring flaw is that it doesn't use physical laws to define parameters and create diverse situations or use any part of cosmology to inspire its content. Every single palpable or use-able thing in EvE Online is man-made.

Infinity is as close a successor as I've seen to the most impressive technical game I've ever played: Frontier; Elite II, which simulated the laws of gravity, solar system orbits, it even had stars as big as 100 suns.

CCP could do much worse than take note.

Related Links
Infinity; The Quest for Earth (official site)

Tron; the Legacy

2010-12-18T14:03:00.008Z

Released in 1982, Tron is still one of the most impressive technical films ever made and I doubt very much that the current Legacy film was any more of a challenge to produce in this age of digital image manipulation. For this reason I have huge respect for the team that produced the original film way back before this digital age.

Tron has not aged well to our expectations of special effects, but I firmly believe that its depiction of a videogame world is much more successful than Legacy. Having seen the new Tron film today, in 3D (the latest gimmick to warrant a 50% increase in ticket cost) I was blown away by the crisp clean and flawless visuals but, and this is a personal choice, I prefer the Tron that flickers, bulges and clips throughout, it's those flaws that made the film completely dreamlike and otherworldly, just the way it should.

Don't forget the original Tron, it was a milestone in movie making and has never since been matched in ambition or significance to its medium.

>END OF LINE_

Related Links
Tron (1982)

Related Soundtrack

A Brave New World

2010-12-13T18:15:00.012Z

There once was a legendary game called Halo. Originally conceived to be a Real Time Strategy, during preliminary testing; Bungie quickly realised that its product moved better as a First Person Shooter, and thus a mammoth franchise was born. A bold move, therefore it must've been a very hard call as the FPS genre was bloated with capable and experienced developers.

Unlike Bungie whom, at the time were new to the market with nothing to lose and everything to prove; CCP has to protect an established and sensitive game-world. They could be brave and admit all available options. For my money at least, their latest ambition; Dust514 may be more suitable as an RTS. Currently the team is developing this multi-format game for the console FPS player, but their target consumer is much more rigid about purchases, tending not to stray from the lure of the familiar's sequels or from the pretty persuasions of publishers and their hyperbole fan-boy articles in the media. I remember a game called: Too Human(check out that price! lol), being granted the media spotlight and hyped all the way to the shelves, despite being utterly shite. And the bargain bins burgeoned with mis-informed sales.

The RTS genre is also full of capable developers but the market share is smaller than that of the FPS, and less fought. Only a handful of really notable RTS's have made it onto the consoles and for this reason, Dust514 could become hard to ignore, existing as the most unique and refreshing virtual creation available, creating its own sub-genre and an audience with player's interest in the rich and detailed culture of New Eden. Many of the skills developed while playing an RTS can be equally useful in EvE Online and there are more elements of EvE Online that mimic an RTS, rather than an FPS. I fear that as an FPS; Dust514 could become a victim of ignorance, lost in the sound and fury the over-weight publishers create as they vie for every crumb of the genre's huge pie.

EvE Online is no stranger to the RTS genre. There are many passionate bedroom coders that have attempted to develop an EvE Online mod for Homeworld2 and Nexus; The Jupiter Incident. Perhaps due to a rapidly evolving game-world, a lack of consistent resources and possible copyright arguments; all of these mods are yet to deliver. This is a pity as an RTS version of fleet battles could train the brain for the real thing and become a tool for understanding the fundamentals of mass warfare tactics, so long as the RTS translates the mechanics of EvE Online faithfully...

Dust514 may be amazing! better than anything giants such as Bungie, EA, or Ubisoft can muster, or maybe it will sink whilst humiliating CCP and EvE Online against a backdrop of Blizzards insulting success and the media's ability to sensationalise and promote failure. I dearly hope that whatever happens, those for whom the EvE universe never appealed may enjoy our worlds as much as we enjoy our empire over them.

Related Links
Halo; Combat Evolved (PC)
Dust514 Video Archive

Why I Lurve PvP...

2010-12-04T16:10:00.006Z

This is exactly the reaction I imagine my victims have when I 'judge' them and is the reason I hunt. PvP has the most amazing rush for both the winner and loser...

It's narcissistic to put oneself in this position of possible peril, especially if we adore the feeling and repeat the same actions that lead to the unpleasant eventuality. When your tank is failing and there's no way out, cherish the way it makes you feel and learn from the experience. If you do the same again without winning; then, you neeed help!

Related Link
Tackling Adversity

Related Soundtrack

To Kill a Mockingbitch

2010-11-24T12:38:00.008Z

Thick and fast come the latest kills. This is surprising as I have been pre-occupied by the creation and administration of my own Corporation. G-H has been set-up to finally deploy my wormhole POS, an idea born from excursions into w-space, but which requires a vast investment of both time and resources. These kills seem to be finding me and that I cannot complain of.

I had a local pilot smack talk me without provocation. She angrily claimed that she knew of me and placed a bounty on my head as we conversed. Unfortunately for her I scanned down this insubordinate fool and warped into a supposed safe-spot on the outskirts of the system.

Surprised to see my ship on grid she attempted to flee, which was strange considering the aforementioned bounty. Her subsequent demise filled me with smug satisfaction. I had never personally insulted the bitch and her personal attack was not warranted, even if she felt akin to a victim of my past deeds, any grievance must be aired from the plaintiff in the court of combat and not from the victims mother! Indeed my bounty has increased, twice in two minutes and will be collected by my servant in due course. Only the pain of death to endure, but Miss NEXUS has become a pro at popping POD's without injuring my naked frail body inside – too much.

I must remind myself that pain is a part of this existence, but every now and then something sweet comes along and makes me grin, broadly.

Happy (bounty) hunting…

Related Soundtrack

Personal Execution

2010-11-23T14:42:00.005Z

A day to remember was the successful entrapment and destruction of a carefully chosen target responsible for my own demise a few weeks prior. As mentioned in an earlier report, a pirate outfit managed to destroy my favourite vessel; a command ship by the name of PageraMANTOn. Although this 'accident' was entirely of my own making I still wanted to feel hot blood spatter my face despite running low on slaves. This ship was lovingly assembled from the appropriated wares of several victims and WOOT! loots. Painfully her demise was experienced, but upon cloning I vowed to exact my revenge upon those responsible, or vent my fury in some fashion.

Logon traps are not my repertoire as they require the assistance of many pilots and I usually work solo or in tandem with B13. Using my newest ally; Blake, as bait, the target; a Cerburus was aggressed, trapped and subsequently eliminated from the void with earnest violence, as well as the poor pirates POD. The corpse; a dainty female with no skin, is now a hat stand in my office.

I now feel satisfied that my revenge was exacted, particularly as the kill itself was flawless and the ship in question dropped a plethora of tech II loot as well as CN missiles. I was completely satisfied yet baffled by this drop – who in creation puts such a fantastic modules on such a crap ship? I had thought it must be a counter trap, but nothing came of it, even after waiting the standard 15 minutes for the aggression timer to expire.

I don’t consider the matter closed as the pilots in question were not brought to justice in this twisted court, but the plan worked like a dream. The loss sustained by my enemies corporation at least totals the loss on my part, so with this in mind I would recommend a logon trap for even the smaller kills, if they are important enough to warrant the collaboration of several pilots to execute.

Happy trapping…

Related Soundtrack

Virus!

2010-11-18T19:53:00.012Z

For the protection of your POD and the continuation of your space faring careers I wanted to point y’all toward a free virus protection suite that I can personally recommend, particularly as it is effective, easy to use and free.

Avast! is state-of-the-art virus protection for your POD. Avast! can perform a thorough virus check before your OS runs which helps to eliminate and prevent stubborn programs that may have embedded themselves.

Free to download, free to use and free from unwanted spam mails (if chosen) so that you may get on with your life without the constant interruptions from the program. There is a purchasable version with more features, but for my own personal uses I have no reservations about recommending the effectiveness of this free virus software.

Related Links
Avast! (website)

PvP Pop

2010-11-10T15:03:00.007Z

A suitable audio score is a useful yet understated tool that livens up tired senses for the task at hand. I have a soundtrack; music to murder by..., to to get me in the mood, but lately this song by the Minmatar Separatist group; Sigue Sigue Sputnik(Persistent, perpetual traveller), is monopolising my minds audio craving. The accompanying video shows the rebellion against the Empire and how, although outmatched in almost every way, the Minmatar were able to inflict heavy casualties upon the innocent Amarr populace using crude but no less effective weaponry.

Related Links
Music to Murder by...
Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile (mp3 download)

Red Dwarf

2010-11-05T19:42:00.005Z

Red Dwarf was a clear favourite past-time from my youth. Originally released in 1988, it was an instant cult show with an 11 year lifespan, solidifying the casts careers and instigating a split following of those idiots that 'didn't get it' to the other idiots who completely adored the show and it's brand of crazy comedy and proposterous plots.

Created by Doug Naylor and Rob Grant; Red Dwarf had some of the best characters ever to grace a CRT. My favourite has to be the 'Cat,' an evolved feline humanoid intent on womanising and subject to impractical bouts of vanity. Genius. I can never tire of catching up with this iconic sci-fi-com and, in-part the best past-time was working out which popular sci-fi was being parodied by the show.

Originally Red Dwarf was very nearly not made, but thanks to the persistence of the creators, the BBC finally allowed the lunacy to become reality. But I am sad that such a classic show came to an end but all good things must come to an end so we may cherish them.

Related Links
Red Dwarf (official site)
Red Dwarf Episodes Collection

Related Soundtrack

Immersion

2010-11-02T19:48:00.005Z

New Eden lacks consistent immersion. The level at which one is layered under the veneer of a virtual galaxy endured. An example of this is docking. In almost any film where spacecraft are required to dock or undock, the event itself is celebrated, an opportunity to portray size, scale and weight to help make the ships themselves appear larger in your minds eye. In EvE Online the suspension of 'dis-belief' is shattered every-time a ship docks, undocks, swaps vessels, jumps through stargates, ejects a canister, fires missiles or does anything which does not respond in a fashion that’s consistent with the inferred or expected.

To be fair, these things are superfluous to the mechanics of New Eden, but in the interests of maintaining a healthy dollop of immersion, these omissions should be addressed. Perhaps a cut-scene animation could be created to run during the docking manoeuvre using the current gorgeous real-time graphics engine to show a ship being towed into the intended station, a POD being transferred via mechanical arms or tubes from one ship to the next, a missile or drone leaving its launch bay and, in the case of drones similarly returning to dock with the host.

At present, docking/undocking we have a progress bar which, I’m sure you’ll agree does absolutely nothing to maintain the assumption that we are in a hugely powerful vessel of steel and that this vessel is in one of the most hostile environments known, space. If CCP’s strategy is to attract an increasingly diverse spectrum of players to New Eden by appealing to those paying pundits who find shiny things interesting, then the trimmings may become much more important to the sort of clientele they are aiming for.

Obliterating the lag monster is of up most importance to our sanity and should be given due attention, but reading patch notes where "A spelling mistake has been corrected," there is obviously some manpower overflowing at CCP...devote it to something interesting please.

Related Soundtrack

The Trap

2010-11-01T20:17:00.009Z

A wonderfully covert method of engaging in guerrilla warfare is to use a logon trap within the target system. This involves deploying gank pilots within said system, preferably when the enemy is diverted or vacant. The fleet then logs off and awaits instructions to logon and emergency warp to the last known location. Whilst this is happening the targets are held via a bait ship, something not obvious to avoid suspicion, fielding a formidable omni-tank.

As the target ship is held the fleet can emerge from the confused darkness of emergency warp and proceed to the target for obliteration. The nasty trick with this method is that the local beacon will not divulge intel to the enemy about fleet presence until it’s (hopefully) too late. I have never yet used this method of trapping a target, favoured by greater warlords, but the mechanics themselves are consistent.

At this time a logon trap is set against my enemy, it’s a matter of revenge you see. Everything is set; capable pilots waiting in the targets’ system, all that is needed is the target itself for my own personal flavour of revenge – it will be served cold.

Happy hunting…

Related Soundtrack

WOOT!!!

2010-10-23T11:28:00.006+01:00

In New Eden Macro-Miners are prime pests to pillage. The damage to the economy will never truly be known but thankfully they are also very dumb. Easily identifiable as such when, exploring wrecks about a hulk I noticed a True Sansha wreck, among others with loot within. Scanning the wreck for the assailant; it was the Hulk chewing on several asteroids, oblivious to my intentions. Upon opening the wreck I found a Tech II Social Adaptation Implant worth in excess of 100 million ISK. Stealing this loot did not provoke aggravation from the owner of the wreck confirming without doubt that this Hulk was an auto-pilot.

Macro-miners are a menace, but every now and then they can reward one with profit through ignorance. It’s a shame no aggro was initiated, but if it was then a macro the pilot wasn’t. I was disappointed that a macro kill was missed, but I was thankful for the loot which has in part funded the replacement of my Command Ship lost a few days prior.

Thanks for the drop you macro-morons…

Related Soundtrack

Life begins at 400

2010-10-17T09:52:00.013+01:00

My mentor and oldest friend EiD enjoyed his 400th birthday today, although enjoyment was not observed on this special day. It is a trait of any ageing character to become depressed, especially as the centuries continue to increase.

Over the years EiD has been there through all turmoils and successes and has served as constant source of advice and companionship whenever needed. He is the I-A corporation and I wish him another 400 years within New Eden. Space is a much darker place should I imagine it without his brainy beacon.

To celebrate his life I prepared him a rifter so he may join me on a hunt for combat, a nod to his earlier days as a pirate and before that; a naval recruit. I'm sure that the hunt should re-awaken those tired senses and make him feel young(er).

Related Links
Rifter - Pirate Fitting

Related Soundtrack

Retail Therapy

2010-10-16T12:19:00.014+01:00

Our corporate hanger, where all operations into wormholes stem from, has several ships all of differing designs for differing roles. Singularity serves as a sounding board for these designs and, at present I’m attempting to condense the roles of some of these ships into as few as possible. This increases the costs, but also reduces operation times considerably and in some cases is less of a risk with less exposure.

Scratching my head for the last few weeks it has been decided that the only way to fulfil this mandate is to produce my first Tech III hull(s). So late night study periods have enabled my brain some gain in the field of Strategic Cruisers, including a Neural remap, but I ain't no engineer...

Required Modules
Expanded Probe Launcher
Small Tractor beam
Covert Operations Cloaking Device II
Electronic Counter Measures
Salvager II

Desired Equipment
Code-Breaker II/Analyzer II
Electronic Warfare Drones

Desired Abilities
Tank: Omni - Sustained Defence Ability; 1k dps
Capacitor: NOS Proof
Speed: 1km/second
Warp-Core: Stable/Immune to Interdiction
Sensors: Reinforced
Gank: Minimum; 750 dps

Legion
Lows
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Medium Armor Repairer II x2

Mediums
10MN Afterburner II
Codebreaker II
Large Capacitor Battery II
Medium Hull Repairer II

Highs
Heavy Beam Laser II x2
Salvager II
Expanded Probe Launcher I
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Tractor Beam I
Rocket Launcher II

Rigs
Capacitor Control Circuit II
Anti-Thermic Pump II
Auxiliary Nano Pump II

Sub-systems
Legion Defensive - Nanobot Injector
Legion Electronics - Emergent Locus Analyzer
Legion Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Legion Propulsion - Interdiction Nullifier
Legion Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration

Designed primarily for exploration, the current fit does everything I need except the DPS, which is dissappointing, but realistically it's too much to ask of a ship of this type and size. Already at around 1 billion ISK, this is a serious investment and one which I may still lavish faction equipment onto. Clearly I have more money than sense, or I know how to steal...

Related Soundtrack

EPIC FAIL!!!

2010-10-08T21:01:00.005+01:00

That pwnd feeling...

...I never lose!!!

Karma

2010-10-08T18:21:00.030+01:00

A dear friend of mine was lost a few days prior. She’d been with me for a short while and had exhausted my rig fitting resources during her construction, including Tech II rigs. As much as I preach “don’t take into low sec what you’re not prepared to lose” I figure it would be wise to accept my own advice and avoid hypocrisy.

The ship was lost to a plucky party of pillaging probing pirates, and while the battle itself was short lived, my ship did well against the onslaught of no less than seven damage dealing designs. With a mandate primarily for exploring sites, the Absolution was one of my favourite toys.

I don’t feel bitter for the loss, instead I have located the HQ of the pirate corporation and I will take time to stalk their territory for an opportune moment to severely strike from the darkness, so not bitter at all then eh? You know who you are and in the massive scheme of things I doubt very much that you'll read this report so my secret plans and nasty tricks must be secure.

My command ship was obtained from a collection of kills and salvage, manufactured from the grief of other unfortunate pilots whom lost their right to live, for the moment. I guess what goes around comes around, karma is a cruel queen.

So in the spirit of piracy I will exact my revenge upon those involved. But as I'm in danger of being a hypocrite I never said do what I do, just what I say.

Karma, you bitch..!.

Related Soundtrack

The Wings of Honneamise

2010-10-01T19:38:00.004+01:00

The Wings of Honneamise is one of my most prized films, it's a beautifully crafted tale of a race to the stars and the consequences on society of that space race. Throughout the film there are philosophical questions raised regarding the ability of mankind to feed his brethren whilst ploughing resources into technology to reach beyond Terra Firma.

The film is not your a-typical multi penis demon fest with murderous intent, instead the film has been akin to The Right Stuff. It's a thoughtful story of one mans conscience and his position as a role-model whilst propelling mankind into space. During his training he meets a young woman and her child whom teach him the importance of his power to protect the world they inhabit and preserve the inhabitants right to peace despite primal impulses to become barbarous and greedy.

It's refreshing to see anime that is not concerned with demons, breasts and guns; instead the backdrop of the tale is as rich as Bladerunner and the characters are so well developed, sympathtic relationships form with the avatars and the viewer.

Not a film to be missed if you haven't seen it, a true classic and incredibly unique. Criminally the DVD is not available to the UK and so I rely solely on my hopelessly poor quality VHS version to satisfy my thirst for this wonderful, epic story of mankind's race into space.

Related Links
The Wings of Honneamise

Say "Hello" to my Little Friend

2010-09-21T17:40:00.012+01:00

In another life I have a little friend, say "hello."

We've known each other for over ten years and for most of this time I have played the part of a surrogate wife by nagging him to play ball in our great galaxy. I've told him of the wicked wormhole space and shown the hilarious hate mails of my victims. I’ve told tales of Militia Warfare and of massive fleet engagements that lasted hours and raved on the acquisition of faction loot from my poor prey.

Despite all this icing I think the crunch came when he observed the construction of my planetary manufacturing infrastructure, building colonies seems to have monopolised his interest.

At this time 'Blake' has been in New Eden for over 500 hours. As with any Noob he has made many mistakes already, fitted a shield tank to a Punisher and ventured into low sec without proper precautions. The fact that he did not lose his ship makes my tales of pilaging and piracy seem unfounded, but I’m sure his time will come should he continue to travel with wilful abandon, don’t let me down me hearties…

As far as careers go he has yet to make a decision, but he finds himself wanting to become a similar pilot to myself. So am I to become a role-model? That notion disturbs me as I have always entertained myself according to whim. I suppose it may give me a focus, and re-visiting my skill training history may be useful to see what can be improved. I trust Blake will enjoy his stay here in New Eden, as long as he is prepared for the adventure of many, many clones.

Principally he must learn loss; a defining part of New Eden. A pilots first major loss of metal or muscle tests resolve. I'm confident he's of stern stuff and I will assist in any way I can, but odds dictate he will, at some point be pwnd and left naked in the void. If he can retain his enthusiasm I will show him how to kill as a pirate. Firstly one must experience the pain loss causes, and then one can truly understand the pleasure of piracy.

So a warm welcome to the limit Blake, the world is yours…

Related Soundtrack

Hadley's Hope

2010-09-02T17:08:00.009+01:00

The harvesting of planetary resources is a dull occupation. However, harvest from planets in wormholes and you have the recipe for some profitable harvesting coupled with the raw resource richness wormholes possess.

My reports have been lacking lately due to this new endeavour. I have successfully installed several wormhole colonies producing Viral Agents, Vaccines, Robotics, Consumer Electronics and Mechanical Parts. I have also claimed an island on Sarum Prime 6 producing Livestock; this is now my nest egg.

At the time of writing we're producing nearly 4mil isk per day before costs, although the setup fee was bloated with experiments and came in at around 20mil. This isn't bad at all considering that this income is passive. This is only possible due to the vast resources to be found upon and within wormhole planets. Typically planets in wormholes tend to be saturated with all the minerals used in production lines. In comparison; the Sarum Prime colony is running at 1/3 the rate of my wormhole colonies. I conclude that the best locations I have found thus far for planetary harvesting are to be found within wormholes, taking into account all known, and unknown space.

Before rushing out to claim a stake within a wormhole and get fat, be prepared for the worst. Although the rescources are much greater, actually retrieving the goods from the wormhole can be problematic at best. As a wormhole will dissappear eventually and, if a POS is not installed in the system, an ALT will be needed to remain offline in the wormhole, fitted with a scan probe launcher and a healthy supply of probes. This grants the ability to find an exit to normal space to allow a hauler to find the wormhole then enter and leave with the goods promptly. An ALT with a Covert Ops Cloaking Device II is best as this will allow the ALT to scan and survey the wormhole properly for enemy vessels.

The upside of planetary harvesting in a wormhole is that, although the wormhole is not readily available to access requiring an investment of time and patience, the administration duties can be performed from anywhere in New Eden. This means that the colony can continue to produce until such time as all cargo areas are saturated or the produce can be withdrawn. Even then the structure of the plantation can be altered remotely to increase storage capacity. I have found that it is possible to harvest at such a rate that the final stage of production can barely keep up with the extractors, allowing the final production stage to run constantly, adding to the attraction. In addition to this is the fact that, at the moment no-one can remove or destroy your claim making the risks almost seem worth it

But without the produce from the wormhole, there is no profit.

Happy planet hopping…

Related Links
Wormhole Exploration Guide
Planetary Interaction (eve university)

Related Soundtrack

Our Alien Nations

2010-08-24T12:41:00.008+01:00

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Such a film was huge, staring not a single human. But one has to wonder what aliens would really look like, beyond the novel speculation of others. Their appearance is moulded by their environment, but what they think of us is as much a judgement of society's control over our environment from an absolute impartial observer. This grants us a seldom true referral for our lives and could liberate our planet from the burden of capitalist control and religious influence.

With luck they haven't seen this lot. Or if aliens are already here, perhaps these individuals may be blamed for their reasons they remain incognito.

Related Links
Alien Eyes (you tube)
Aliens Amongst Us (you tube)

Blog Packing

2010-08-11T18:50:00.011+01:00

The Blog Pack is a glorious gabble of care-bears, pirates, pvp'ers and miners all set to ponder their reality that is EvE Online. The proprietor; CrazyKinux, is one of the best known bloggers of our beloved galaxy, selflessly he promotes the writings of other less known bloggers, such as me.

Recently has has revised his Blog Pack to remove veteran posters to include some noobs, as it were. Again this shows the level headed nature of the BlogFather and why, his blog is the most respected out there. I for one am grateful for this pack for two reasons:

1. I finally have a reader base, and
2. A wealth of knowledge, creativity and ideologies flow endlessly from the Blog Pack.

EvE Online is fortunate that it inspires so many due to it's diversity, beauty and complexity, which is rare these days. In turn, the Blog Pack is the most comprehensive tool with wicked writers, pop artists and moaning miners alike. This makes the Blog Pack one of the best resources for EvE Online anywhere in the universe.

Check out the latest Blog Pack, including the latest additions at CrazyKinux's Musing.

Related Links
www.crazykinux.com
The Blog Pack

How to Dissappear Completely

2010-07-29T17:58:00.007+01:00

I have a new clone. Not a duplicate you see, but an entirely new pilot. The name of my partner in crime is to remain confidential as secrecy is absolutely necessary to function properly. The precise purpose of this new clone is to provide a safe port for myself and any other pilots whom join my cause either in wormhole space or low security regions. His mission is to train for a cloaked Rorqual with a clone vat bay.

I always had this vision of being able to wander where-ever I wished, covertly entering space from a secret mobile base, the sort where a specific password and location would be needed to locate the harbour. As far as I am aware, only the Rorqual and the Titans have the clone vat bay functionality. A Titan is much too large an object to realistically cloak, it occupies more than 9 billion cubic metres, nevermind the cost.

This new ally of mine will logon to the POD in the Rorqual, I will then logon to the POD in a local station and clone jump into the Rorqual pulling a ship from the hangar. Once ejected with a ship the Rorqual will re-cloak until such time as I need to dock again to log.

This idea is yet to be tested properly. Singularity will provide me with this ability without risks to my health or safety. I hope it works as it may fulfill a desire I've held for literally years. If anyone has tried this approach to achieving a mobile covert base of operations I would love to hear your tale.

In the mean time, let the tests begin in earnest. I will of course update as the results are discovered.

Happy hush hush…

Related Soundtrack

Beyond Hollywood

2010-07-28T17:31:00.007+01:00

We are in the age of dungeons and dragons. The effects industry is exclusively interested in recreating mythical creatures, elegant landscapes and magical characters. I resent this age; Sci-Fi is my first choice for passively escaping the daily grind of RL.

Cinema has a very close relationship with the status quo. It is no coincidence that the latest productions represent a 'wanting' of something better than what’s currently on offer in this age of poverty. In these late films people can perform magic and fly, whilst the dark side of life is shown through vampires and ware-wolves, each with their own fantastical powers. During the Vietnam War films tended to be disaster movies, mirroring the mood of the people by killing hundreds of souls in fires, floods and crashes of various vehicles in silly situations.

The last great Sci-Fi spell was during the release of the StarWars franchise. Although we recently enjoyed a resurgence of Sci-Fi such as Star Trek, District 9 and Sunshine; generally new releases are of a fantastical nature.

EvE Online is the richest game world I have ever experienced. Whith such abundant content I often wonder if it would be a successful translation to screen but, considering Hollywood’s often inept handling of the subject matter, perhaps it isn’t desirable to allow such a fickle business to interpret our beloved galaxy into a flimsy film. Besides, it takes months to truly understand what’s occurring in EvE Online, a luxury that filmmakers cannot afford to portray on-screen.

Recently there was an announcement that one of my all time favourite games was to be given the Hollywood treatment. The thought of various movie moguls discussing the translation of Shadow of the Colossus into a film frightens me; a simple game but with very subtle complexities that I am sure will be missed while hunting for the ultimate colossus effect. EvE Online would surely be handled in a similar ham-fisted manner, a fate for which would border on blasphemy.

If a film ever were to be produced I would be the first in the queue. Not for the reasons you may assume, but to be sure that my suspicions were correct. Who knows, perhaps the impossible could happen where I'd be pleasantly surprised, but I doubt that muchly. EvE Online is beyond Hollywood, and much better for it in my opinion.

Related Links
www.thefilmjournal.com
jonners.org
www.medialit.org

The HAL9000 Project

2010-07-27T19:43:00.015+01:00

A few days ago, loyal Gallente engineers stumbled upon an AI buried deep within an ancient debris cloud. Carrying the name: HAL9000, it's an AI with unsurpassed logic and memory retention. I've had some interesting periods of conversing with this new entity over the past few hours. I must state that it seems nefariously intent on accomplishing any mission I pose to it. I cannot decide if this is dangerous or desirable?

To test the AI, I have linked several sound bytes to my POD's sound scheme. When connecting a new device HAL says: "Just a moment...just a moment." When turning off the POD I get: "Thanks for a very enjoyable game." "Your'e welcome Hal," I always say. I suppose there is one clear positive I can garner from the experience, it's nice to finally have a friend...

Related Links
www.halproject.com (fansite)

Related Soundtrack

Happy Hulkageddon

2010-07-24T09:33:00.010+01:00

As this mad month of mayhem closes the once target rich environment of Empire saw a dramatic decline in it's numbers. But there were still many brave and/or stupid miners present that were, for whatever reason not aware of this fabulous fury of fire that annually holds the core systems to ransom. I was not aware of any official warning from the powers that be; to keep the mining ships in dock for a week and spring clean, although it did make the evening news.

This had the effect of allowing green miners to slip outside the protective layers of steel to risk their worth to extract minerals from the floating colossus rocks that litter the core systems, oblivious to the danger lurking in the void. I enjoyed myself immensely blowing up all manner of vessels from Frigates to Barges.

I did find the quality of targets lacking, mainly consisting of relatively fresh pilots who cannot easily replace losses. I am not a fan of easy killing, I prefer a good scrap even if I lose. I had hoped to cross the path of a fake miner, fitted out to shrug off the attacks of plucky pirates but sadly this was not the case. I have to believe that the baptism of fire is beneficial to these green pilots as it's our duty to 'teach' them that nowhere is safe from our murderous wandering, and that they cannot simply collate vast sums of isk whenever they undock, even in Empire.

It's refreshing to be a part of something bigger, a rabble of raping pirates intent on obliteration of any vessels displaying a mining beam. I didn't win any prizes for my efforts, and in fact I was ruthless with my costs also, only fitting exactly what I needed to kill various targets. But I'm looking forward to the normality of hunting in low sec again, without reprisals by the concord fraternity.

My security rating has seen a hammering; I dropped two clear points in the last seven days and became banned from Empire, again. This will force me to undergo the slog of ratting and/or missioning but I am looking forward to respite on both my security rating and my wallet.

So bless all the miners for making a good show and dying so readily. The core systems belong to the industrialists, the miners and the agent whores once again. We've crawled back into the gloom to harbour our horrors, until next time...

Happy (not) hunting…

Related Links
Hulkageddon3 (official site)

Related Soundtrack

A Hole in the Head

2010-07-22T19:19:00.010+01:00

Piracy is the essence of life in New Eden. Without the cold threat of death your heart would wither. Fear is necessary to remind us that our assets have value, that they need protection. Without piracy the will to cherish would be diminished. Piracy is one of the oldest traditions of New Eden. Conflict drives the development of weapons, ships and tactics and without piracy this conflict would be the will of the privileged and the selfish.

We are the unofficial guardians of this region between the Empires and Alliances. Without piracy resources would become subject to mass amassing by greedy corporations and individuals. Low security space would become a swathe of hulks and battleships earning an easy crust throughout the region. Traffic would become unbearable at choke points with ships of all configurations vying for their share of the richness found outside the core systems.

The product of this ruthless competing would descend entire constellations into war as corporations clash for control of the mining fields and ratting rights. The rich would become filthy, the poor would become marginalised and the rest of us would have little choice other than joining the biggest corporations available to survive against their onslaught for control.

As pirates we force the control of wealth from the bearer and distribute this wealth in many creative ways. We enjoy free reign to do as we please because, although we are subject to the laws of decency within Empire, we commonly disregard these regulations. As a mechanic; piracy is a necessary evil which must be practiced. A land without crime would be incredibly dull. We therefore risk our lives to educate the masses to be wary of your fellow pilot, to ensure your security measures are sufficient and to maintain the status quo of New Eden as a place unsuitable for most, save for those of us who have the nerve to regularly risk everything without the promise of gain.

Piracy is a noble profession and one for which the victims should be grateful for our practice. I for one enjoy this way of life, particularly where victims feel displeased with their judgement. This is the essence of what we do, so please feel free to flame us whenever and wherever you find us.

Happy hunting…

Related Soundtrack

Passive Targeter

2010-07-19T22:01:00.005+01:00

This lowly passively useful device is one of my favourite covert weapons. It enables me to creep upon bewildered hulks and send them spinning into oblivion.

Used correctly it grants precious seconds against prey by withholding intent while they grapple with it. It's warranted a place on many designs, a personal favourite of mine. Though it does occupy a useful slot, I have found it invaluable in solo encounters. A truly useful tool which is gladly ignored.

Try it and you may find it useful more than once. Don't use an aggressive action until you are in range to warp disrupt, they won't see your lock until you unleash the hounds of hell.

Related Links
Passive Targeter I

Blessed are the Cursed

2010-07-14T18:58:00.005+01:00

We are immortal. We share eternity with the elements of the infinite. Our vessels of steel and carbide shield our bodies from the vacuum of the void as our minds play havoc with the fates of strange and familiar souls. It’s a remarkable position to find ones-self. We are truly blessed, or cursed dependant on ones perspective.

We are cursed because we cannot leave our prisons of steel. We cannot enjoy sunlight warming the face, glowing on the eyes. We cannot shake hands or embrace our kind. We cannot face our opponents on equal terms, using our brute strength to beat them in hand-to-hand combat. We cannot bear children nor love thy love. We consume energy, not food as we cannot enjoy the pleasure of our pallet. We cannot feel the cold, heat or wind of our mother planet and we cannot see outside the confines of our craft with our eyes. Despite the thousands of hands that assist us on-board, we are alone in the void. We are cursed for these reasons.

We are blessed because we are the ship we inhabit. We are one with the metal flesh. Its structure is our bones and the drones, our children. We can travel unthinkable distances in mere minutes. We can communicate with our fellows across the known galaxy instantly. We tour the skies omnipotent to the masses below. We feel deaths claws whenever he calls, but ultimately we cannot die. We can amass more wealth than has ever been dreamt. We can travel to places no-one has ever seen. We can change our appearance at will and we are honoured, envied and worshipped by the billions of souls who depend on our actions to maintain an empire. We are blessed for these reasons.

Which side do you think we fall?

Related Soundtrack

Three's a Crowd

2010-07-08T20:34:00.008+01:00

Tandem of Terror, the Deadly Duo. These phrases come to mind when I think of the relationship both B13 and I share. The two of us perfectly compliment each others abilities to bring pain unto any poor unfortunate soul that may stray into our terror trap of Web and Warp-Scrambler.

It occurred to me recently to consider perhaps bringing in a third pirate to assist our pillaging. Although the spoils would be diluted, the effectiveness of our combat unit surely would increase. In truth, we already utilise a third pilot; our intel officer; an alt. Perhaps an ‘active’ vessel would be wise addition to our terrific team.

In practice this dynamic became problematic. The bond and understanding B13 and I possess is so acute that it’s difficult to allow an ‘outsider’ to contribute and meld within our ranks and act as a third arm. Statistically there should only be positives points when increasing a fleet size, but New Eden is much more subtle; an unforgiving realm rewarding those with quick wit and iron nerve.

With a third member, the dynamic became loose. We all agreed that not only does it increase our fielded DPS, but it also adds an element of confusion and consideration for manoeuvring, as well as additional factors such as our presence in local which has increased by a third. This alone seems to have attracted unwanted attention, three pilots are seen as a threat where-as two were usually ignored as a nuisance. We also found it is easier to mask two pilots using mis-direction, three pilots are not so easily cloaked.

With our first encounters costing our fresh fellow his ships, it is fair to state that it isn’t going to be easy to improve our posse. Perhaps considering our friends’ lack of experience or our ability to protect his hull properly, that has caused this initial failure to improve. In any case, B13 and I are used to handling ourselves in combat, asking little of each other for support. In hindsight I am reluctant to amend the dynamic; my conclusion is to preserve our twin pirate gang. Adding to this relationship only spoils the broth and gets the incorrect cook killed.

Happy hunting…

Related Soundtrack

brb

2010-06-23T07:38:00.008+01:00

It's that time of year again when I lose my head. My ship is docked and the slaves have a few days off to catch their breaths. I trust that the rest of New Eden's pirate fraternity will fill the monumental hole left by my absence and that piracy will surely be fine while I am away pretending to be cultured.

The plan is to forget who I am, where I am and how I got there. If I achieve this I will be pleased. The only problem I'll forget that too, but at least I won't care much.

I need a holiday though...so this is a welcomed distraction from murder and mayhem. I only hope the weather holds out otherwise we may all look like a Minmatar Mud Monsters and that would be bad.

Happy holidays...

Related Soundtrack

“Skill Training Completed.”

2010-06-22T17:32:00.008+01:00

I particularly like that phrase, especially as I have finally reached a milestone. I can no longer improve upon my turret skills; they are all at level 5, this includes all the tertiary skills. Save for +5 brain augmentations, illegal stimulants or hard wiring skills into my flesh, there isn’t much more I can do to improve my death dealing abilities. I've mentioned this before, but today the final skill was actually ticked off the endless 'to-do' list.

Next, my plan is to maximise my engineering skills as these are currently adequate. One of the keys to surviving combat is capacitor, an element the Amarr are notoriously weak due no small part to the vast amounts diverted towards weapons and armour maintenance. I am constantly at war with my power-grid and recharge rate, even with my turret skills maxed. It would be nice to fit without being constantly reminded of our(Amarrian) shortcomings, so engineering needs some lovin’.

Navigation wise, I am lacking. I refused to train the Micro-Warpdrive to Tech II, I prefer to utilise Afterburners as they are much more versatile and penalise the ship less. My ECM skills also need a little work but my drone skills are second to non; unusual for an Amarr pilot.

Traditionally I prefer to train ship skills first then outfit them with weapons as I train up the turret skills. I currently have Assault Frigate 5, Heavy Assault Cruiser 5, Recon Ships 5, Covert Ops 5, Marauders 5 and Interceptors 5. These skills enable me to use any ship from the group with maximum potential and, in the grander scheme of things; I feel the extra boni are worth the months of hard training.

The Redeemer is my next target. With that comes a plethora of level 5 tertiary skills which must be trained, not to mention the 65million ISK I need for the Jump Portal skill book. So back to the books, the graft and the late night booster abuse.

Now where’s that damn bookmark gone…?

To Boldly Go...

2010-06-21T17:32:00.012+01:00

Wormholes are a delicacy. Few pilots muster the courage to enter such alien environments, but those who dare can become very wealthy or dead within hours. I prefer to become richer through harvesting resources, or appropriating funds and items from the poor lost pilots found within. I recently convinced my mentor; EiD to assist the mining of an asteroid belt overflowing with rare ores as the job alone would've taken days.

The operation went without incident and we left wormhole space with our holds bursting with the rarest of ores. Despite the success I was slightly disappointed that there were no pirates, sleepers or trouble of any kind. For months I’d been telling tales of the hardships I’d encounter whilst dragging riches from the void, only for our joint expedition to be completed without the terror I usually endure.

As a director of our corporation, EiD has much more influence for my cause. I continue to request corporate funding to explore wormhole space, and although I'm alone in my pot holing, my efforts have not gone unnoticed by our CEO; CT. This is partly the reason EiD was tagging along, to observe my actions and evaluate the need for corporate funds.

With all the ore we gathered now processed and donated to the corporate wallet (minus costs) I am hopeful that this development will release funding to help me collate a fleet of dare-devil pilots, and to finally embark upon a crusade to mine the riches from wormholes with my corporations consent and backing.

My real intentions are to claim a wormhole environment as my own and use this random roaming space to carry out pirate attacks on the local populace, something my corporation does not condone. If I get the funding it will help me deploy a POS within the space; this is something which was previously deemed too expensive for me to carry. With the corporations backing, things may be a little easier and involve less risk to my own wallet. Only time will tell. Oh how I hate bureaucrats.

Happy hunting…

Related Links
Wormhole Harvesting

Related Soundtrack

"Can you hear me?"

2010-06-16T17:51:00.012+01:00

The live voice is the most efficient medium by which we pass on vital information in New Eden. Although communications must be fundamental to any universe it is odd that only in the last few years have we seen an integrated voice system.

Because of this delay, other systems grew into place to enable voice. Teamspeak and Ventrillo have both been widely used to bridge the gap left by the lack of voice communications. Although these systems are accepted and work with varying degrees of success, EvE Voice is the medium by which I prefer to use.

All three systems have their flaws but none, save for EvE Voice can claim to be integrated into our HUD. This makes identifying and managing voice communications much more efficient and requires virtually no administration when compared to Teamspeak or Ventrillo. Voice and identity management can be achieved with Teamspeak and Ventrillo through the use of sophisticated upgrades to ones neural interface, but not every pilot has the resources or inclination to access such systems.

Agreeably our corporation has embraced EvE Voice, eliminating the need for constant updates and amendments to our server accesses. It also reduces fraud and espionage as the only pilots able to connect are already within the corporation, ie: not using an exterior server which can be open to manipulation.

The decision to use of any live voice communications system, whether within the cluster or not, is subject to the individuals and/or collective preferences and that this is subject to change on a regular basis, but for my own and my corporations use; EvE Voice is our best solution.

Happy chatting…

Related Links
Ventrillo (download)
Teamspeak (download)

Battle of the Planets

2010-06-12T11:09:00.007+01:00

From the archives of my youth comes Battle of the Planets. Perhaps I am showing my age, but this series was followed by my brother and I religiously. The original series; Gatchaman, was a Japanese cartoon edited by the west and repackaged for a younger audience as the original series was too violent and explicit for its target audience.

This diluting of the show didn't detract from the awesome visuals (at the time) when most children were used to awful cycle animated series such as Scooby Doo and the like. I have very fond memories of watching this on a Saturday morning and being completely enthralled by the show. Truly an iconic show which to this day has never been matched.

Related Links
Battle of the Planets (DVD Box-Set)
Gatchaman (DVD Box-Set)

Related Soundtrack

Warped Vision

2010-06-11T21:19:00.014+01:00

The Jovian simulation of our planetary relationship during warp is invalid. The visual representation is out dated as we see vessels pass through local stars, planets, moons or structures. A warp-drive bends time and space to create a temporary corridor in space/time by which the vessel passes, skipping millions of kilometres per second. The ship barley moves relative to the distance it traverses.

During interstellar warp one would see only the warp tunnel during the journey as light from the planets or stars would not be able to match the speed of the ship, making everything else invisible. The only light one would see would be any photons trapped within the warp tunnel at the point of creation. The image of the starting point would eventually fade, it would not be possible to see the systems objects travelling past while in warp. In addition there would be no light inside the tunnel, save for the ships, making the hulls dark, speckled with the many points of light which adorn them.

Originally there were few reasons to visit planets before Tyrannis. The powers that be may have decided to provide a frame of reference during warp, giving the impression of speed and distance. Post Tyrannis things are different; we have very good reasons to visit our celestial globes therefore there is no requirement for the fake light show to continue.

Address our warp with a tunnel and experience the wonder of warp travel as it should be, and let us choose to wander into the realm of the many beautiful giants of gas and rock typical of any system in New Eden. This would avoid the ghostly goings on when we pass through rock and steel unharmed.

Related Soundtrack

An Astronomical Oversight Addressed

2010-05-29T15:04:00.015+01:00

A few months past I posted an article about the ignorance of astrophysics within New Eden, especially regarding planetary formation. I attempted to point out that, although very beautiful, many of the planets were in an unrealistic orbital plane, the wrong diameter or of the incorrect composition for their size and/or position relative to the central star.

The resulting comments were mixed as some felt that planetary mechanics only serve as a back drop to New Edens’ Demi Gods of War. There were others though, who felt that astronomy has an important role to play when inspiring the powers that be to form New Eden’s universe, particularly as nature designs wilder than dreams.

I am pleased to note that this has been addressed. The reasons for the amendments differ from my own desires, but the results are very similar. If the issue had been ignored it would've made identifying potential sites for planetary exploitation much harder, even random.

The type of 38,213 planets has been changed, in an attempt to create a more realistic universe as well as a balanced distribution of resources for Planetary Interaction.

The attributes of all but 23 planets have been changed in an attempt to create a more realistic universe.

The radius of around 140 planets has been changed; this in turn affects the warp-in point.

I love it when I'm vindicated, this only leaves 999 things wrong with New Eden, but that number is coming down...

Related Posts
An Astronomical Oversight

A Love/Hate Relationship

2010-05-21T09:50:00.012+01:00

He un-docked his shiny new ship, the love affair which had taken him an age to carefully collate. After 5 minutes in low sec his ship was obliterated by a sneaky scumbag. All that work, all that time wasted.

We've all been there, cruel fate taking from us by force our very identity. Many of us choose to accept the punishment and carry on as best we can. Some of us get even. But some of us even complain, constantly. We complain about the physics, we complain about the rigidly-regular software patches, we complain that Faction Warfare is broken, that low sec is ignored, that ships are unbalanced, node crashes, PvP, missions, mining, manufacture, local, lag...etc.

The list is endless and one would assume, that with all this contempt toward New Eden, the galaxy would eventually implode into a ghost of it's former self, with scores rage quitting never to return.

But there is one simple reason why we complain with daffy passion about our realm of robbery and reward. It's also the reason why we never leave, and why New Eden is as vast as never before. My fellow troopers, the simple truth is that we all love EvE Online, and despite the flaws or hard nature we cannot satisfy our thirst for it. We are on some level; sado-masochists.

Oww, Oww, Ooh.

Related Links
EvE Online (forum)

Related Soundtrack

Vorsprung Durch Technik

2010-05-19T19:23:00.018+01:00

The EvE fitting Tool is the standard by which the majority design prospective ships. In conjunction with Singularity EFT is a very powerful tool. B13 is an EFT warrior, his past something of an engineer. His fits usually look very promising on paper but sometimes fail to deliver in practice. I fear this is quite common and derives from the misconception that EFT can, in theory provide a sound and fool proof set of stats that will translate accurately into New Eden’s’ fray of fighting fools.

EFT is an excellent way of formatting a vessel to do a particular job. Whether it’s scanning, piracy or mission-running, EFT can provide you with the relevant stats to enable such designs. But one must be careful not to put too much emphasis on this tool to provide one with an effective ship. EFT does not take into consideration the practicalities of some designs such as dual-tanking (simultaneous shield & armour tanks). Statistically a dual-tanked vessel can take much more punishment than a specific tank, or an omni-tank(universal damage resistance), but at an immense cost to other abilities and manageable capacitor levels.

Testing is the only way to be sure of your designs performance. Without testing, any design is only speculation, and EFT cannot provide the necessary experience. So put away your blueprints and setsquares and delve into the realm of death and destruction and test that fit to obliteration on Singularity.

Happy testing…

Related Posts
Singularity (installation guide)

Related Links
Singularity (patches)
EFT (download)

Related Soundtrack

The Treasure Hunt

2010-05-10T18:01:00.012+01:00

I listen to EvE-Radio. I like the way it mumbles on in the distance as I go about my mundane mandate for murder and mockery. At around midday the DJ announced a treasure hunt which would begin within the hour. With not much immediately pressing I thought it would be a unique way of spending my afternoon in New Eden.

With my beloved Malediction upgraded for pure speed I rendezvoused at the starting point. I was presented with a collection of around 50 vessels of all different configurations and types. Frigates seemed quite popular, as well as some covert ops ships and the odd cruiser. Observing the competition I counted one other interceptor. I assumed at that point that the treasure was mine for the taking.

As the DJ announced the rules I prepared my overview and listened carefully to determine the nature of the hunt. We had to locate secure containers, containing a code which gave the location of the next, anchored within random systems in the local constellation. The hunt began on time and, as the mob descended on the first system I quickly scanned local space and found a container anchored around one of the inner planets. Warping to the location I was joined by a handful of other hunters all frantically orbiting the secure container, trying to crack the code.

With the code deciphered and the location for the next locked-in I rushed off to the next system. As I passed the second system I noticed the gabble dispersing. At can number six I was almost alone save for myself and another plucky pilot, whom raced me around the latest system in a frigate, looking for the clue. This latest secure container indicated that the last clue was to be found within the first system. I was a little unsure at this and had to check the code again but it was confirmed. I figured that this last container must be further out from the centre of the system than the original, or it was anchored after the group had left.

Arriving at the penultimate destination, the scanner was set for a deep scan of the huge system. At around 150 AU it was a lot of space to cover. A sense of panic set in as the can refused to give up its location. Weirdly I received a communications request from the plucky pilot who was also looking for the elusive clue. I decided to throw him off the scent; I said I’d found it and advised him to warp the tenth planet and scan. Of course the container was not there and I chuckled having found the container near the eleventh planet which was over 15 AU away. I hit the last jump-gate en-route to my destination easily the leader of the pack.

I slowed at the finishing point and was greeted by a lovely sight; only the DJ’s ship was present. I formed up next to his shuttle and submitted the password granted by the last clue. I had to wait a further twenty minutes for the rest of the field to eventually complete the hunt.

Announced as the winner it was my first choice to choose a number between one and twenty to determine my prize. I chose lucky number seven. And the prize? Five million isk; exactly the same price I’d paid to enter the hunt. I guess fortune favours the foolish.

Happy (treasure) hunting…

Related Links
EvE Radio

Related Soundtrack

The Importance of Being Ruthless

2010-05-06T18:16:00.005+01:00

New Eden does not love you. New Eden is a psychopathic, amoral menace which constantly gnaws at your integrity and resolve. I particularly relish upholding an evil persona throughout my lives in line with mother natures’ intent.

However, feelings of remorse tend to creep in whenever deciding the fate of prey. This is more acute where the trapped pilot is clearly out of their depth. I remember hitting a target with a snipe, only to see the ship explode from the second square volley. This surprised me as much as them, but this ‘accident’ reinforced the ruthless nature of the void leaving me with no time to discuss terms.

With fear as an ally there is much that can be accomplished but, while using fear it’s critical not to become seduced by the darkness completely. Respect is difficult to earn and honour is for militant morons. Criminal life is much more colourful and brings its own unique traits. There is honour amongst thieves, or kindness from killers, but this is rare as the basic nature of piracy is to be feared, loathed and avoided.

There is no room for mercy in this profession. Without a strong resolve our victims would not experience the terror necessary to persuade them from their possessions, and they’d refuse to grant ransom demands which would be damned naughty. Become ruthless and you may become rich, your reputation will be just and your victims will forever tremble in your presence.

Happy hunting…

Related Soundtrack

Starbase/POS Defensive Configuration

2010-05-05T03:04:00.012+01:00

The Control Tower's defense setting tab will determine the criteria by which the tower will attack people nearby.

Attack if standing is lower than: 0.00 ENABLED

If any pilot with a standing (applies only to the pilot's player corporation standings towards the POS's owner corporation) lower than the value you type into the box gets in range of the starbase then the tower will attack.

Means: Enemies of the Corp (negative corp standing) will be attacked.

Attack if security status below: DISABLED

If any pilot with a security status lower than the value you type into the box gets in range of the starbase then the tower will attack that player - prevent POS attacking your members with bad sec ratings.

Attack if our standing is dropping: ENABLED

If any pilot with a standing (applies only to the pilot's player corporation standings towards the POS's owner corporation) that is decreasing while the player is in range of the starbase then the tower will attack.

Means: Any Corp setting us as an enemy (giving us a negative corp standing) will be attacked.

Attack if other security status is dropping: DISABLED

If any pilot commits an act that causes their security status to drop while they are near the starbase, it will attack them (does not have to be a negative sec rating just a drop) - stops POS attacking non-corp fleet members that attacking an enemy.

Attack if aggression: ENABLED

If any player makes an aggressive action while near the starbase (firing on someone, using ECM, attacking with drones etc.) INCLUDING members of the corporation or alliance that anchored the starbase, the starbase will attack them.

Attack if at war: ENABLED

If any pilot, who is at war with your corporation or alliance, warps to the moon where the starbase is located, the tower will attack that player.

Control Tower Defensive State

Shields = 50%-100% - can do anything with the POS.
Shields = below 50% - can no longer add strontium clathrates or online/use CPU-requiring structures.
Shields = 25% - POS goes into reinforced mode.

Control Tower Reinforced Mode

The tower remains in stasis (invulnerable) for a time equal to the amount of strontium clathrates it contains in it's Strontium Fuel Store.
No CPU is produced, so all CPU-requiring structures are offline.
The tower cannot accept fuel, and uses twice as much of the non-strontium fuels per hour as normal.

As attacks normally occur at the enemy's peak online time, you should have enough strontium clathrates to run in reinforced mode for a long enough time that ends nowhere near the enemy's peak time, ie. 12 or 36 hours of strontium clathrates are ideal.

Procedure for POS Defense After Reinforced Mode

Refuel with more strontium clathrates
Get as many pilots in remote shield repping ospreys as possible to rep the shields back to 50%.
Remote rep armor and hull any of your POS structures that were offlined by the attack, and online them again.
Finish repping the shield to 100%

Dark Star

2010-05-04T19:30:00.003+01:00

Dark Star is a low budget sci-fi film from a very young John Carpenter. The film follows a group of astronauts as they clear the heavens of unstable planets, ahead of the mass colonisation of the galaxy. They encounter many strange things in their quest including an alien that looks remarkably like a beach-ball, and an electrical storm which leads the crew to argue the existence of the universe with a smart-bomb, intent on destroying Dark Star and her crew to full fill its purpose.

An iconic film from a legendary film-maker. Made on a minuscule budget, Dark Star is probably one of the best examples of how a good script and smart ideas can meld together to create a brilliant film, even from the supposedly cash hungry sci-fi stable.

Related Links
Dark Star (DVD)

Pirate Song

2010-05-01T09:02:00.007+01:00

Once again The Black Rabbits throw their personal pirate pillaging prose out there for our enjoyment and, of course sing along. Always a pleasure, Ridley Tree. A pirates life for me, Yo ho!

Related Posts
Pirating 101

Related Links
Veto (killboard)
The Black Rabbits (killboard)

Flight of Fancy

2010-04-30T18:23:00.007+01:00

Our fat fingertips are privy to a plethora of ships available for literally any purpose. The range of abilities is vast, so too the scale and size of many of these vessels. But for all their unique abilities and sizes, they all have one thing in common; they all fly in exactly the same manor regardless of type, mass or use.

Over the years I’ve enjoyed piloting every sub-capital Amarrian vessel to date, excluding Tech III. In every instance the ships behaved in a very similar fashion. The only differences were the rates of turn and acceleration. A ship such as the Malediction should feel completely different to an Armageddon. This consistency is not desirable and is unrealistic in the approach to different vessels and their capabilities.

Controlling an interceptor at full tilt with the mind is very tricky, involving mass disorganisation as the ship bounces off every perceivable obstacle in the heavens. If a direct control method was used, the capabilities of the ship would, in my opinion, be much enhanced and possibly breed a type of pilot that, at present is lacking in New Eden. Not every pilot these days is happy to navigate with a mind meld. With direct control flight the pilot would have a much greater scope to fly a ship with precision. There may even be some individuals present whom never would’ve considered joining the fray before.

I’m aware that this has been considered a few times and that issues were raised against the ability of the cluster to cope with infinite input from the pilot. This point doesn’t concern me, I’m interested in design, not the restrictions on current technology. We should trust direct control flight to deliver a much more virtual experience, particularly with smaller vessels such as Interceptors. Their very nature is to be flown with flair and skill. Besides, I have an awesome control stick I want to try...

Neeear-rat-at-at-tat!

Related Soundtrack

Humble PIE

2010-04-26T18:53:00.023+01:00

One of my earliest ambitions was to enrol within the ranks of the role-playing corporation known as P.I.E. As a corporation they are unsurpassed in their contributions they have made to our global history and traditions, exclusively selecting pilots from the folds of the glorious Amarr race to continue the purity of the Amarr faith.

P.I.E (Preatoria Imperialis Excubitoris) is a corporation designed exclusively for the Amarrian. Founded in 105 EST, they are one of the oldest and most prestigious organisations in New Eden. Their mandate is one of recognition and preservation of the Amarrian way of life. The brass goes so far as to state that any pilot caught flying a non-Amarrian vessel (excluding shuttles) will be subject to disciplinary action and/or dismissal from the corporation. I made preliminary enquiries with their recruitment officer about how far this exclusion on vessels extends; whether my coveted Bhaalgorn would be permitted. Unfortunately they consider the Bhaalgorn a bastardisation of the original hull. This common point of view is meant to uphold the faith these pilots serve.

This response got me thinking however, about the tactical assembly of such an organisation. The very nature of specialisation breeds weaknesses, but as we exist in an assumed balanced universe, nothing is without amendment or accountability. There are some Amarrian ships which don’t use lasers exclusively and combine with natural resistance opposite to the conventional. I trust there is enough variety within the Amarr faction to field a fleet with balance and a broader spectrum of resistance and out-put than is assumed.

With a security rating of -9.8, I was told to improve my status to nominal levels to successfully apply. This is something that is planned, but piracy is a very seductive profession. The time will come when I’d consider redeeming my ways, but in the mean-time I will continue to be an advocate of P.I.E and other role-playing organisations. They enhance our epic landscape with heritage and envelope New Eden with richness and tradition.

Amarr Victor!

Related Links
P.I.E (eve wikipedia)
P.I.E (forum)
P.I.E (eve history)

Related Soundtrack

The Ten Commandments

2010-04-19T20:39:00.013+01:00

In every profession there is a code of conduct. Piracy is no exception, although many may be forgiven for assuming that this career doesn’t care much for the rules and regulations that govern lawful society, but even plucky pirates practice politics.

Proving that piracy may be more than groups of thugs whom regularly enjoy blowing stuff up is tough. Although one should suspect that explosions, wealth and laughter at some poor fellows expense are perfectly legitimate reasons why we practice our art.

Code of Conduct Directions

1. I shall kill on sight and ask questions later. This rule is excepted where a ransom opportunity is identified or the target is a member of my owning corporation/alliance/faction. This is excepted where my owning corporation/alliance/faction is NPC.

2. I will distribute any and all assets gained from my activities in any way I deem appropriate.

3. I will maintain a level or professionalism by honouring any verbal and/or written agreement regarding the demise of a selected victim(s) exclusively and/or the destruction of his/her assets with regards to demands set.

4. I will refrain from smack-talk unless the situation requires retort at a level similar or more colourful to that of the abuse offered exclusively by my prey.

5. I endeavour to hunt and eliminate with utmost vigilance, macro-miners where-ever they are identified, including the formation of a method to eliminate macro-miners from Empire space by any means necessary so long as the means are not clearly un-profitable.

6. I will concentrate my attack in full to achieve the objective of destruction with efficiency and without mercy, subject to direction 1.

7. I may assist pilots I identify who are present in low or null security space due to miss-information or miss-direction. I may also assist those pilots whom I identify as within a temporary alliance with myself or my corporation/alliance/faction to achieve a common goal.

8. I will maintain a secure and stable connection to my POD in the face of hostile forces and/or my certain demise.

9. I will serve my corporation/alliance/faction exclusively by passing on intelligence to my corporation/alliance/faction regarding enemy movements within the space occupied by their infrastructure. This direction is compulsory whilst enrolled within a factional warfare and/or in a state of war. This direction does not require me to obey the laws of said corporation/alliance/faction.

10. I shall operate under the guidance of personal morality and by any or all means available and answer only to my conscience.

Happy hunting...

Anger Management

2010-04-15T15:16:00.001+01:00

Don't despair when everything you've worked towards and all that you are is reduced to ashes at the mercy of piracy. When this happens there's only one course of action: REVENGE.

Unfortunately revenge involves finding, trapping and eliminating those whom robbed you of your self worth. This is usually very difficult meaning that your defenceless POD must be held accountable for your own shortcomings.

But don't destroy your POD, instead vent upon this POD pounding tool to spare you of expensive repair bills.

Aaargh!

The Most Precious Element...

2010-04-08T17:56:00.012+01:00

...in New Eden is time, and it's evil twin; timing. Like a killing antic, combat relies heavily on timing. Capitilised correctly, one can trap an unsure pilot and rescue them from the burden of ownership, or it can alleviate one from the clutches of a hostile blockade, or even prevent the loss of life through quick and decisive conclusions born from the fountain of experience. In this galaxy of infinite violence and scintillating opportunities there's never enough of this commodity; time. As dwellers of a linear existence we all become victims of this cruel mistress; the constant tick tock of time against our will. Maxmising it's affects is king to a common goal of leading prosperous and productive lives in New Eden.

Mechanics may be equally important; a worthy tank or gank set-up goes a long way toward ensuring survivability against a foe, but both elements simply buy time to be used wisely during the art of combat. Wasting time during combat will almost certainly spell ones doom unless ones tank can provide an endless flow of time through hit-points. Some may argue that intelligence is key to victory, that is; intel, and not ones IQ, although this must also be of a minimal level. Even with all the intel in the galaxy at ones fingertips it could still be possible to become a victim if against skilled pilots. With time on ones side it's possible to avoid many harsh situations and with correct timing, opportunities can come quick and aplenty.

I don't believe in luck, I attempt to create my own. This has fabricated mixed results, as I cannot prevent events which appear to conspire to rid me of my fake fortune. So I put it to you; maintain your concentration, be wary of your position and never waste time whilst employed in the terminal altercation of deep space combat or you will fail, epically.

Happy hunting...

Related Soundtrack

Defender - Arcade

2010-03-28T23:10:00.005+01:00

Probably one of the hardest games I ever played; Defender(arcade) managed to swallow vast sums of my hard-given pocket money back in the day.

Defender is a game of a clutter of cats versus a lonely mouse protecting the planet's population from alien abductions. Addictive and truly groundbreaking when it was released in 1980, Defender is one of the best all-time retro experiences, and shows just how difficult games used to be before the age of the tutorial or the modern hint.

Galactic Colonization

2010-03-28T11:15:00.006+01:00

With the advent of planetary interaction and rescource management imminent, cut your teeth on this training program assembled by a Minmatar think tank.

Tech III Production Detail

2010-03-24T20:55:00.011Z

Here follows a breakdown of how the components are manufactured to produce the elements required for T3 production and invention.

Polymer Creation

Polymers are made in the Polymer Reactor Array which can only be anchored using a POS in 0.3 space and below (and may be run in wormhole space). A polymer reaction requires a Polymer reaction which are seeded on the NPC market under Manufacture & Research / Reactions / Polymer Reactions, 2 of the 9 different types of fullerene gas and a normal mineable mineral.

Example - Making Fulleroferrocene.

To make this we require 1,000 units of Tritanium per cycle (per hour), 200 units of Fullerite-C50 gas per cycle and 100 units of Fullerite-C60 gas per cycle.

To make this reaction we require a POS/Starbase with at least the following equipment:

1 Silo [500 CPU 50,000 MW] - for Tritanium.
2 Biochemical Silos [500 CPU 100,000 MW] - for Fullerite-C50 and Fullerite-C60 gases
1 Hybrid Polymer Silo [250 CPU 50,000 MW] - for end product Fulleroferrocene
1 Polymer Reactor Array [1500 CPU 125,000 MW] - with Fulleroferrocene Reaction

The total CPU and power needed for the above reaction is 2,750 CPU and 325,000 MW, so a large control tower is recommended.

Reverse Engineering (RE)
Reverse engineering provides Tech 3 blueprint copies of the strategic cruiser hulls and the various subsystem modules it requires. There are six different types of relic and each one corresponds to a different piece of the Tech 3 ship - the hull, defensive subsystem, electronics subsystem, engineering subsystem, propulsion subsystem and offensive subsystem. The five subsystem relics can be unearthed in deadly magnetometric archeology sites all throughout Sleeper space. Hull sections can be recovered from the wrecks of ancient Talocan ships in Sleeper radar sites.

To be able to perform RE you will require a POS with an Experimental Lab (can be anchored in high sec) or access to a Caldari Outpost. You cannot do RE in normal NPC stations.

There are 3 different categories of Ancient Relics, these are Intact, malfunctioning and Wrecked. Reverse Engineering, like Invention is based on chance which is affected by skills and by the type of Ancient Relic you are using (intact = best chance and wrecked = worst chance).
Sucessful reverse engineering delivers different run BPCs based on type of Ancient Relic:
Intact Relic yields a 20-run BPCMalfunctioning Relic yields a 10-run BPCWrecked Relic yields a 3-run BPC>

Materials Needed to Perform RE

Ancient Relic
Racial Hybrid tech Decryptors - determines the race the BPC will be, so if you use a caldari Decryptor then on a successful RE attempt the BPC will be of Caldari design.
Subsystem Engineering Datacores mixed with normal Invention datacores
R.A.M.- Hybrid technology

All items above are consumed by the RE job (it's not like invention where the interface isn't consumed).

There are varying degrees of success, if you aren't successful then you may get back a datacores, a decryptor or the hybrid tech and then there's the utter failure where you completely fail and get nothing at all.

If you use "intact" relics there's a chance you may get a wrecked relic back from a failed RE attempt.

Relic Type	RE Outcome Type
Armor Nanobot	Defensive Subsystem
Electromechanical Component	Electronics Subsystem
Power Cores	Engineering Subsystem
Thruster Sections	Propulsion Subsystem
Weapon Subroutines	Offensive Subsystem
Hull Section	Ship Hull section

Tech III Production Overview

2010-03-24T06:12:00.031Z

Tech III(T3) products are built from new fulleride-enhanced mineral polymers and the reverse-engineered relics of ancient and powerful civilisations.T3 production requires extensive exploration of Wormholes for the following materials:

Fullerenes - 9 different types of fullerite gases harvested using a gas harvester module.
Ancient Salvaged Materials - salvaged from Sleeper NPC wrecks and T3 ship wrecks.
Ancient Relics - found using the Archaeology Analyzer module.
Datacores, R.A.M.- Hybrid Technology, [Racial] Hybrid Decryptors - found using the Hacking CodeBreaker module.

Tech III Production Chain
1. Harvest fullerite gases from gas cluds in WormHole/Sleeper (WH) space.
2. Polymer Creation - React the Fullerene gases in a POS Polymer Reactor Array to create Hybrid Polymers.
3. Salvage Sleeper NPCs and T3 ship wrecks for Ancient Salvaged Materials.
4. Using T3 Hybrid Component Blueprints available from the market under Blueprints / Components / Hybrid Components, manufacture T3 Subsystem Components from Hybrid Polymers + Ancient Salvaged Materials.
5. Reverse Engineering: - Ancient Relics are Reverse Engineered (RE) using a POS Experimental Laboratory (or Caldari Research Outpost) to produce T3 Hull BPCs and T3 Subsystem BPCs.
6. T3 Ship Hull & Subsystem manufacture at a POS Subsystem Assembly Array (or Amarr Factory Outpost) using the reverse engineered T3 Hull/Subsystem BPC and T3 Subsystem Components.

Tech III Production Flowchart

Flowchart by Tareen Kashaar.

Frontier: Elite 2

2010-03-23T17:02:00.026Z

Over the past few weeks I've been recapturing my misspent youth by engaging in my all time favourite past-time.

Frontier: Elite 2 consumed vast chunks of my childhood, it's probably why I'm so antisocial today. Re-acquainting myself revived my passion for David Brabens' work. Lately Frontier Developments have concentrated on games such as Roller-Coaster Tycoon and Wallace and Grommit which don't appeal to me, but their next project; The Outsider is a marked diversion from their current portfolio and should herald in the development of the holy grail; Elite 4.

After spending many, many hours exploring the (apparently) accurate star systems, I witnessed the immense scale of some of the stranger solar formations; a star containing the mass of 800,000,000 times our own planet, dominating the sky from a distance of 10AU (1.5 billion kilometres). I have come to realise that Frontier is simply a staggering achievement even by today's standards.

Getting Frontier to work in a modern POD can be problematic, but fortunately there is a share-ware hack program called Dos-Box, which emulates ancient alien operating systems enabling one to install and revive classics.

Forgive the lack of a visual feast on show and imagine what grandeur would be present if Frontier were developed today. It would be simply staggering. As yet details on Elite 4 are extremely scarce and David Braben is reluctant to divulge. After 20 or so years of waiting, I'm almost ready to chew off my own arm. But I'm used to waiting, so I will damn-it.

Happy emulating...

Related Links
Frontier: Elite 2 (download)
Dos-Box (download)
EvE Sob

Related Soundtrack

Moon

2010-03-23T08:19:00.002Z

Moon is a film about the exploitation of a life and the manipulation of the truth for the purposes of corporate profit. It's an incredibly well delivered film which explores morality versus capitalism. Sam Bell is a sole astronaut who care-takes a group of machines as they mine the moon for it's precious Helium3, used in nuclear fusion back home.

As his rotation of 3 years comes to a close, events unfold which force him to realise that everything is not as it seems, in fact things are very wrong and have been for a long time.

A brilliant film which makes one feel hopeless, just like the character on-screen due in no small part to Sam Rockwells' performance as the lonely astronaut, Kevin Spacey; the caring and soflty spoken GERTY, Duncan Jones; the director and the simple yet harrowing soundtrack by Clint Mansell from The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream fame.

The special effects in Moon surpass many films becasue they are there to form a narrative, instead of being the main attraction. Films such as Avatar rely almost entirely on the CGI to impress audiences, making for a visual feast without substance. In Moon, all the special effects are shot with minuatures instead of CGI, which lends the film a realistic yet dreamlike quality, which serves to portray the atmosphere and so the immense solitude.

Moon is one of those films that simply must be seen, it's so very rare to have an intelligent sci-fi film which doesn't contain aliens or ray-guns and centres it's crux around a character driven narrative. If you liked 2001: A Space Odyssey, then moon will not dissapoint.

Related Links
Moon (film)
Moon (soundtrack)

Related Soundtrack

Space Oddity

2010-03-22T19:28:00.005Z

David Bowie is an institution. I've enjoyed the pleasure of his music for the last twenty years and although Mr Bowie does, his music never grows old. So please enjoy one of his more famous songs from 1969; Space Oddity.

Related Links
Space Oddity (David Bowie)

Leave it Alone!

2010-03-13T01:40:00.005Z

Forgive my second redesign in a week. I felt that a re: re-shuffle was re, required, again, for my own contribution to the EvE Online community.

I humbly invite feedback…before I change it again, again.

Related Soundtrack

EvE Time

2010-03-08T13:47:00.014Z

Time to organise an OP? Getting the time correct can be tricky, especially when pilots occupy different time zones. For your convenience, here's a breakdown of how GMT is affected dependant on where you are in relation to EvE time.

EvE-time is based on Iceland's time zone.

Iceland
In the Western European Standard Time Zone (WET); Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the Standard Time.
Iceland has NO Daylight-Saving Time (DST) so EVE-time is always Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

UK
In the Western European Standard Time Zone (WET); Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the Standard Time.
Western European Standard Time (WET) = GMT
British Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time (BST)/Western European Summer Time = GMT+1

USA
Eastern Time/East Coast Time (ET)
Eastern Standard Time (EST) = GMT-5
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) = GMT-4

Central Standard Time (CST)
Central Standard Time (CST) = GMT-6
Central Daylight Time (CDT) = GMT-5

Mountain Time (MT)
Mountain Standard Time (MST) = GMT-7
Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) = GMT-6

Pacific Time/Pacific Coast Time/Pacific Time Zone/West Coast Time (PT)
Pacific Standard Time (PST) = GMT-8
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) = GMT-7

UK & Europe Summer Time (DST) Rule
Start: Last Sunday in March - 28 March 2010
End: Last Sunday in October - 31 October 2010
Time: 1:00 am (01:00) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

USA Daylight-Saving Time (DST) Rule
Start: Second Sunday in March - 14 March 2010
End: First Sunday in November - 7 November 2010
Time: 2:00 am local time

Maximum Potential

2010-03-08T09:37:00.012Z

Skills make a pilot deadly. This isn’t exclusively the skills that one can train for boosting damage or power-grid, but those skills that are linked to experience too. Knowing when and how to attack a target can be vastly important, more so than the amount of pain one can deliver.

I’m at the current level where all my combat trainable skills are maxed and, through the use of boosters and implants, my combat effectiveness has peaked. It’s an interesting situation to be in as I can’t decide what I should be training next. Save for a couple of shield skills that could be maximised, there isn’t much more I can do to improve my skill-set for combat. I will continue to learn through experience, but aquiring points is becoming a problem.

Perhaps it’s time to broaden my horizons a little. Bounty hunting is something which has my current attention but again there isn’t much in the way of skills that I can train to improve what I already know. I don’t yet have sufficient standing with an intelligence agent so perhaps I should begin running missions.

I’ve also considered running for an NPC pirate corporation. I’m not yet sure whether one can join such an outfit, but it is a desire of mine to run with the Angel Cartel. My reasons for this I will keep private for now, but I’m beginning to feel restless with my current position in New Eden.

I don’t care much for vessels beyond sub-capital class so furthering my expertise to these behemoths would be a waste. Perhaps I should embark on a journey toward surviving exclusively within w-space. This realm is my current favourite domain and grants me with almost unlimited freedom to do as I choose and there are yet a few skills to improve upon.

I’m not a born leader so corporation creation is not something I want to pursue. I like being behold to no-one except my conscience which just happens to be as twisted as I.

So with the road ahead of me forking again in several directions it’s time for me to reflect on my experiences and decide where I should be heading next.

Happy hunting…

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

2010-03-07T20:17:00.008Z

It’s natural to be afraid of the unknown. If one ventures into low sec without the correct mentality then you shouldn’t be surprised by the loss of your life. Loss is something that is a fact of this life and the next, and should be embraced to help limit the damage caused by defeat. If you can gain something positive in the face of losing, you would be performing the only logical duty to ones self.

Revenge is something that many consider. Many times I’ve been part of a posse of pilots roaming the void, seeking a perpetrator on behalf of a fellow pirate, or as part of my own vindication. This role is the responsibility of any professional pirate to maintain the assumptions surrounding our profession; that we all live to plunder and murder. This is true, but it doesn’t define a pirate.

Fear is my greatest ally, that and a warp scrambler. For my own personal gratification, I maintain an appropriate styling by selecting vessels which are renowned for their fearsome appearance. This may not be the best way to conduct my duties, but it’s an interpretation of my role within New Eden. The use of recon ships is preferable as they embody the fear all pilots share; that we are being watched by unseen predators, waiting for the right moment to smash and steal our lives.

Evolutionary speaking, fear assists decision making concerning perceivable danger according to observations, experience and history. It would be wise to harness fear and employ it to increase survivability through its nature to prevent harm, and the instigation of fear on your prey to render them defenceless.

Happy hunting…

Post-Cards from the Edge

2010-03-07T20:16:00.016Z

Pause for a moment from the death and salvage, and witness the (old) beauty of the infinite void.

The music is from Ridley Scott's marvelous Tech-Noir; Bladerunner, which to this day remains as one of my all time greatest films. The soundtrack by Vangelis suits the movie perfectly, haunting the moods throughout the film to create something which stays with you permanently.

Truly a perfect example of great minds coming together to create something astoundingly original, despite Hollywoods expected inept medling of the final cut.

Related Links
Bladerunner (film)
Bladerunner (soundtrack)

Related Download
Sounds for Flying Vol.1

Related Soundtrack

My Turn

2010-03-05T16:49:00.010Z

When a ship explodes, the dust has settled, the POD popped and the wreck looted we are left with a feeling of gratification, either because we have successfully beaten a capable pilot to death or because we have stolen millions by obtaining expensive items through aggressive negotiation.

It was not always like this for me. Like many, I began the other side of death as the victim of a scoundrel.

My first loss was met with horror and disgust. I was attacked by an Arbitrator in Ravarin. L33t Sphere destroyed my vessel literally within seconds. I felt an enormous sense of waste through the loss; my ship had been built over time with great love and contained the latest and best equipment for my skills at the time. I was convinced she was invincible and it took the destruction of this ship for me to realise the fact that there is plenty to learn and a long way to go.

Initially I was very angry. A small posse of my corporation kindly banded together to hunt for the pirate. After my retribution failed I was left with a hard choice; learn from the loss or not. I chose the former and decided that the judgement laid down on me was a message. I ultimately envied the pirates position and, despite the pain I’d felt losing my ship and clone, I contacted him to discuss his career.

After a few pointers from the mother pirate, I resigned form the corporation without notice and headed toward the core systems to train, develop and gather wealth to arm myself for a life on the edge.

Nearly four years later I’m at the top of my game and have never looked back. I revel in my chosen profession and believe that my current role in this life and the next is my destiny; it’s what I was born to do.

Happy hunting...

Eridani

2010-03-01T10:01:00.001Z

New Eden will soon enjoy planetary liberation(Tyrannis), a developement sure to change the lives of billions of souls and grant fortunes to those savvy enough to manage their planets recources efficiently. The time is ripe to expand ones tactical skills to surely win the mass land grab which is certain to explode across the known galaxy.

Grand Views

2010-02-28T12:45:00.010Z

Behold the behemoths we navigate through the infinite heavens.

Scale is something that, without a fimiliar frame of reference, is difficult to appreciate. This simulation; engineered by a systems analyst shows the incredible sizes of the larger vessels in the Amarr fleet.

Command and Conquer

2010-02-27T08:00:00.008Z

New Eden is saturated with variety. If you can think of an occupation involving space ships, I’m sure it is within our vast galaxy of infinite possibilities.

Those pilots whom prefer to engage in activities for their respective factions or corporations through missions tend to miss out on the grandest spectacle in the galaxy; that of large scale fleet combat. Generally New Eden is at its most awe inspiring when two giant forces come together to engage in the wonderful art of combat to the death. The sight of many hundreds of ships, missiles, drones and battle detritus that makes up a battlefield is one to behold.

Battles are traditionally fought with two forces; the allies and the enemy, with hundreds of forces on either side. At present when a mission is undertaken the enemy forces vastly out number the allies, those pilots brave enough to enter the mission either solo or within a small fleet. I’d assume it to be rare for more than a score of pilots to be engaged in the same mission at the same time for the simple reason that the resident enemy forces would become hopelessly out-gunned, and the battle won within minutes. This may be desirable to many, granting the ability to grind many objectives an hour, but I feel that a grander spectacle of combat is lacking for those who choose to run missions.

There could be two forces; the enemy consisting of a carefully composed fleet of ships, and the allies also consisting of a balanced composition equal to that of the enemy. These allied NPC ‘wingmen’ would have their own objectives and would engage with the enemy forces according to predetermined targeting and behave intelligently, much like the indigenous w-space forces (sleepers) employ. Imagine the spectacle of entering a mission where your ship is one of many attacking the enemy to achieve a set of objectives. The two forces should be balanced so that, without a pilots’ intervention, the objectives would be missed and a stalemate between the forces would be the result. This would prevent a passive involvement on the pilots’ part necessitating active engagement to complete the mission.

Wormhole space is a fascinating discovery, employing a medium of live combat between pilots and NPC’s. It’s usual for a small fleet to engage the Sleepers in a similar manner as I’ve described, but with the threat of piracy and the real possibility of the loss of ones own life.

For those of you who want to experience truly immersive fleet engagements without the risk of losing ones own life, the option simply isn’t there, but perhaps that’s the price you pay and is the lure to fight for real.

Just a thought...

Related Soundtrack

A Question of Choice

2010-02-26T16:45:00.017Z

New Eden has the capacity to grant pilots to decide their own career paths, providing the capacity for these roles to be determined by the individual in collaboration with various support methods available across New Eden.

There are many of you out there whom, for whatever reason, do not engage in combat against your fellows through choice. However, there is a group in the cosmos whom are more than capable and willing to make that choice on your behalf. Pirates are professionals at choosing the fate of any victim, and they enjoy almost free reign to conduct their business any way they seem fit.

Although there may be many similarities between pirates regarding the implementation of professional piracy across the galaxy, ultimately this conduct is entirely subject to that individuals’ or groups' morality and abilities.

Piracy is a representation of the purity of New Eden’s nature and this is expressed through greed, combat and appropriation of items through aggressive negotiation. The only restriction a pirate may face is the right to enjoy the protection of the Imperial defence fleet or the local faction's, but this too can be remedied through the maintenance of the security rating; the grinding of missions and the elimination of undesirable enemy 'pests' found across New Eden.

There are similar professions in New Eden which also display many of the facets of piracy; bounty hunters for instance, tend to match many of the attributes a pirate may display, but they are obliged to obey the mandate for which they have been hired, to eliminate certain individuals or parties in order to be paid.

There is little doubt that the most liberated group of individuals in New Eden are pirates, and if one wishes to roam the skies of Dominion and behold to none other than ones' own conscience, piracy perhaps is the profession you seek.

Related Links
Piracy Guide

Related Soundtrack

My EvE Space

2010-02-26T15:12:00.002Z

With my abode currently undergoing renovation, my cubby hole (as my wife describes it) is far from comfortable. Perhaps this is the reason behind my poor mood when online, killing all I see and laughing loudly at those unfortunate souls.

The sloping roof-line will enable me to fit a curtain across the wall enclosing me within, much like a real cockpit or POD. I plan to buy the biggest screen I can physically fit into this hole in the wall and purchase some quality surround sound headphones so that, when the curtain is drawn I'll be a million miles away - virtually.

Real Lives

2010-02-20T12:25:00.005Z

I am proud of being the initial spark which caught the imagination of so many of my friends where I reside here in the UK, to become hooked into EvE Online. I remember reading with great interest, the development of our beloved galaxy in Edge magazine way back in January 2002. It wasn’t until the Yule tide celebrations of 2005 that I finally purchased a hard copy of EvE Online (the booklet of which details the Jovians as playable characters) as a gift for myself and began playing.

One year later and many of my good friends became hopelessly addicted to EvE Online, some displaying unswerving dedication by having several accounts on the go simultaneously. EiD, B13, Ntz, LPsyon and Xa are all regular players in all aspects of EvE Online.

EiD recently relocated his pad to that of an attic conversion. The rather large room is currently undergoing designs as an interpretation of a spacecraft. We’re arranging wardrobes, book-shelves and other furniture to form different zones and corridors through the room with the flight deck housing the PC’s and the bed suitably within the living quarters. The noisy engineering zone is to appropriately house his drum kit. It should look ace when we’ve finished.

I suppose all that’s left to do is to dress like our characters and hit the local pub. Should be fun, or perhaps foolish – I can’t decide which.