Fee Free

PLEX’s are the vehicle with which a lowly pilot can frolic in the quantum foam for free, no real fee required except for the millions of iskiez required to purchase PLEX. I'll concede that the idea of clerical grinding; speculation, acquisition, invention and harvesting maybe a tad tedious, but it means that I'll continue to roam unhindered by external financial constraints.

I've discovered that planetary pillaging has been able to contribute 50% of the required funds for a 30 day PLEX; the rest coming from the slow sale of alt mining stores and appropriated items as well as the odd rare ransom. With elite level skills I’m able to control 6 separate planetary colonies, 4 harvesting and 2 manufacturing. To harvest enough materials to allow the factories to constantly manufacture POS fuel I must visit each site every 48 hours. My alt is under orders to install the same infrastructure halving the requirement to attend, yet requiring 40 days training. A direct consequence of this commitment is that I must initiate roams from my local system, but until there’s planetary assault capability I’m not concerned.

With this continued consistent commitment I can roam the void without the need for considering financial burdens, which is a welcomed perk. There are many different ways to achieve this perpetual existence; for me the regularity of planetary harvesting is good for my attendance and ensures that my time within the void continues regardless of personal financial issues, so long as I can earn the required isk in time…

Happy (isk) hunting…

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Clear Skies Trilogy

Some months ago Clear Skies reached it's third outing, not because there's money to be made - it's simply for the awe that is EvE Online and of course it's fanatical populace.

If the previous incarnations of these marvellous movies escaped you then I strongly recommend your time to view them. They are so well produced, not only from a technical point-of-view, but indeed the acting and script is well executed and never ceases to crease a smile on my otherwise gnarly face. I'm a real fan of this production and can safely advocate the series as some of my favourite films despite the apparent minuscule budget. Absolutely brilliant!

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Related Links

Clear Skies Trilogy(official site)

I-War

Many retro games appeal to many of the middle aged masses because they recapture a feeling of youth in the player. Often these games cannot compete with our modern equivalents, and only appeal specifically to the individual because of their power of nostalgia. Unfortunately I missed I-War the first time round, a PC capable of playing was not in my itinerary but despite this, the strengths this game has over me has demanded that I play consistently and often.

The first few missions are tutorials and are absolutely necessary to understand the mechanics of the craft(dreadnaught) you'll command. Much like a traditional ship, the vessel has several seats upon the bridge: Command,   tactical, navigation and engineering are all present and each position has it's own set of commands, although all commands can be accessed from any seat.

The game play is understated at first, demanding little in the way of tactical resolve, but later missions become increasingly difficult, requiring lateral thinking, spacial awareness and a quick trigger. The ship can be manoeuvred in any direction, and can rotate to engage multiple targets, systems can become damaged during combat forcing a compromise and many missions utilise the games physics model for success. This dynamic is what makes the vessel so rewarding to command, and the radio chatter never ceases enhancing the atmosphere further.

Graphically the game is exceptional(for its time), the mechanics; more accomplished than New Edens' with both inertia and gravity present. Critically I-war was praised and it was enough a success to warrant an update and a sequel; I-War 2 Edge of Chaos, which again was well received. The development team; Particle Systems was later acquired by Argonaut which went into administration in 2004.

A game of notable complexity, difficulty and a raft of original ideas, the game is as timeless as the void itself.

Related Links

I-War (GOG.com)

Particle Systems (official site)

Planet X

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

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

...with a sprinkling of winter expansioness.

Kerbal Space program

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 simulator; 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.

Related Links

KerbalSpaceProgram (official site)

Local Vistas

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

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 game leaves - it's Aliens; but playable!