A Love/Hate Relationship

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)

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Vorsprung Durch Technik

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)

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The Treasure Hunt

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

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The Importance of Being Ruthless

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…

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Starbase/POS Defensive Configuration

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

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

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

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!

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Humble PIE

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)

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