Bring the Frill Back

The ships of Eve Online are iconic.  It doesn’t matter if you are a hardcore Eve Online capsuleer or a casual science fiction enthusiast.  These pixilated masterpieces have connected players to the New Eden Universe for almost 10 years and there is no denying the players who fly them and the develops who create them are both passionate about these ships.

The ships were what drew me the play this game.  More than the complexity, politics, history and player driven almost freaking everything; the ships captured my imagination and my heart.  The daredevil and its look of solidified death took my breath away.  The Phobos was satirical and cheeky with its phallic shape and pinkish hull coloring.  The Avatar was the first titan I saw in game.  It made me feel so tiny in my rifter, but it also gave me a goal.

Then there is the Vagabond.  A ship that is quick, silent and deadly.  The Dragon of the Matar;  name well deserved when you consider it’s speed, striking ability and at one time it’s frill.  This ship is one of the most popular and widely used heavy assault cruisers.  It’s also a thing of beauty and pride for many of the pilots who fly it.

The V3 Shaders brought change which was good and is laying the path for even better graphics and options further in to the future.  There were artistic decisions made to adjust some models much to the disappointment of some.  The coloring of some ships changed dramatically including the pinkish hues of the Roden Shipyards line.  Some models were re-worked and adjusted for accuracy.  Such is the way of progress, but was the removal of the Vagabond’s frill really progress?

Would you take away Jimmy Hendrix’s fro if it made him more receivable to the public?  Would you tear down the Eiffel Tower to improve the scenic views of Paris?  Would you banish rotten shark from Iceland because it smelled bad?  No... you wouldn’t.

All of these things, much like the frill of the Vagabond, are iconic.  The frill makes the Vagabond special.  It’s a part of the ships personality and helps it stand out among the hundreds of other impressive ships Eve Online has to offer.  The frill is a part of it’s mystic and beauty.  It’s what makes the Vagabond more than just a set pixels with a set of stats. 

CCP, your players are appealing… no... pleading with you.  We know you understand because you love Eve Online and its ships just as much as we do.  Hear us in this request to bring the frill back.  Let the legend of the Dragon of the Matar live.  Keep the Vagabond iconic.  Bring the frill back.

Check out what other Eve Online players have to say about the frill

♥ Rixx Javix - Eveoganda
♥ Adhar Khorin - Margin Call

Make your voice heard by replying to the Bring the FrillBack proposal on the Eve Online forums.

Faction Warfare and Mercs

In Episode 46 of the Voices from the Void, Hans Jagerblitzen stopped by to discuss Faction Warfare [FW] changes in the upcoming Inferno expansion.  Hans is a member of Late Night Alliance, a CSM7 delegate and a leader in the FW community.  He's a loyal pilot in the Minmatar Militia and he's passionate about FW.

In the segment, Hans commented on opposition to some of the incoming changes.  Namely, the Amarrian Militia opposed the mechanics applied to the loosing side.  It's a very simplistic form of their argument.  It's a little more complex, but you can listen to the interview for those details.  I'd rather write about a solution.

Eve Online is a harsh game and in the Amarr Militia's defense these mechanics are harsh.  The loosing militia would enjoy up to x4 prices in the Loyalty Points [LP] store, loss of LP paid upgrades in systems under siege and station lock outs in enemy systems.  Those are the three big ones.  The main point of their argument is these odds are near impossible to bounce back from.

Hans doesn't believe this.  He believes in the ingenuity of the players.  If those in the loosing militia can not achieve the objectives necessary, someone else who can will take their place.  It may sound a little harsh, but that's a truth of Eve Online.  Someone will find a way.  Sometimes they find ways to things no one wants them to find a way to.  Hans recognizes this about the community and believes the new mechanics will provide a challenge for these players.

That got me thinking.  How could a militia overcome odds like this?  Some CSM7 members suggested bigger bounties given to the losing militia for PvP kills.  It's doesn't really fit into the theme of harshness Eve Online has, but it's a good idea.  Then it hit me.  Mercenaries.

Yes!  That handy dandy already in play game mechanic we know as mercenaries.  Small powers use of mercenary forces is fairly common in the real world.  High sec forces use of mercenary forces is fairly common in Eve Online.  It seems like a reasonable progression of game play to me.  Of course there is the cost of procuring mercenary forces, but hopefully you've been saving for a rainy day.

It seems reasonable to believe a mercenary group would want a FW contract.  Corporations and alliances can join FW.  You can join and leave as you please and as long as you have the standings to join.  On top of their payment from the client, they would also earn LP.  The passive LP would make FW contracts instantly more profitable than a contact of the same nature for a high sec client.  Add in the prospect of your pilots running missions adds to the client's benefit as well.  I don't see why they would say no, other than the standings hits they would take.

That's my great idea.  At worst, FW has been using mercenaries for a while now and I'm slow on the pick up.  At best, this is a pretty cool idea.  I'm not a grand theory crafter or jr. game designer type, but I do know when an idea isn't total crap.  I'm curious to see if this could become an actual game changer.  Only time will tell.

Photo Study: Stealth Bombers

The ships of Eve Online are beautiful works of art.  Each one is a unique creation that personifies it's race, corporation and role.  They are as unique and versatile as they fits player use on them.  These pixilated flight craft are clearly one of Eve's greatest assets and wonders; at least in my opinion.

I feel strongly about the ships of Eve Online because I experienced the overwhelming power of their majesty first hand.  I was mesmerized by the Daredevil when I laid eyes on it.  The friend who introduced me to Eve flew one at the time and dazzled me with stories of what it could accomplish.  The entire time he spoke; my eyes were glued to the image in front of me.  I told him I wanted that and he said I would have to train for Minmatar and Gallente.  Then I found out Gallente had a line of ships with pinkish tints (pre-V3) and I was sold.  

That's just one example of the raw power the imagery of Eve Online holds.  There are hundreds of other instances and stories out there.  For someone else it could be the breath taking Nebulae, realistic Carbon avatars, quirky landmarks or that sense of vastness when you're warping 70 AU and you see a planet slowly drift by.  Taking in the New Eden Universe is a pleasure all it's own.

In their effort to enhance the visual experience of Eve Online, CCP Games has gone wild with the V3 Shader.  All the ship lines will receive  a code make over, but some groups of ships will also receive a model overhaul.  For the Inferno patch, the Amarr ship line will under go V3 Shader coding and the Stealth Bomber class receives  a model touch up.

These changes excited me and they have been a focal point of my Eve Online related conversation.  Many of my friends and corp mates are too lazy to get on the Sisi server, so they've only seen the ships via screen shots.  This would be fine, but I've found there aren't that many screen shots of the new ship models available.  The simplest solution was to do something myself.

This is where we come to the photo study.  I've taken screen shots of all four races of Stealth Bomber.  Each collage has five different angles of the ship and top/bottom comparison of the old model against the new.  Now some of the pictures may not be perfectly aligned or make be tilted on the axis a little.  The process turned out to be more of a pain in the ass than I thought, so they shots stand as they are.

I've also made the individual screen shots of the ships available.  They were not posted to the blog because that would be a huge pain in the ass.  Instead you can click this [link] and be magically transported to my imgur gallery.

Enjoy

Dani♥

 

[Happy Monday] Simply A Perk

“I still don’t get it.”  His words echoed into the metal crevasse which normally hosted one of the seven turret hardpoints.  “It just seems like a bunch of asshole shit to me.  No offence.”

“None taken, but you’re only partially right, Nef.”  Her response was casual, but it was nothing new.  Most who lived as immortals among men maintained a constant air of disinterest.  Ary had been on the cusp of such a mentality since she became a capsuleer, but it seemed her time in The Swarm exacerbated that particular personality trait.

Nef was Ary’s nephew and gunnery man.  He also boasted the honor of being the only person Ary trusted with her ships and equipment.  The moniker was not his birth name, but a familial nickname she gave him when they were children.  She was the only one who ever called him Nef.  If anyone else did, usually found themselves on the receiving end of a black eye. 

“They cried for blood.  We are simply answering the call.”  The indifference in her tone bothered him slightly, but she didn’t seem to care. “It’s a basic tenant of survival if you think about it.  I’ll give you an example.  You find yourself in a thick jungle, unfamiliar territory.  You see one of the people in your travel party go down.  Is screaming out into the darkness, into the dense thick unknown for help, your best option for survival?”

He knew instantly it was a metaphor for what transpired a month ago.  The Chairman, leader of The Swarm, has been sentenced to a Concord sanctioned cloning freeze.  During a public festival; the leader of the large alliance and (at the time) Council of Stellar Management went into a crass tirade singling out a specific pilot and encouraging some pretty heinous behavior in a rather grotesque display.  The alcohol fueled display was disgusting, but most didn’t bat an eye... until the result of this year’s polls came in. 

The announcement of his re-appointment caused backlash almost as volatile as The Jita Riots.  Pilots from all regions were howling for blood.  Some simply wanted The Chairman removed from office and others screamed for his final death.  The pressure for Concord sanctioned action was so strong they had no choice but to give in.  The Chairman was given a 30 day freeze and through a technicality he was removed from office.  The sentence was taken with grace, but the ordeal roused new bloodlust throughout the coalition.  To mark his release The Swarm and their allies intended to celebrate the best way they knew how; utter destruction and annihilation.

Nef watched Ary as he considered her question, but she didn’t seem to notice.  The majority of her focus was trained on the holo-tablet in her hands.  Even though she seemed distracted, he knew she was studying and testing him.  What did she want him to see?  Nef sat up from his reclined position, his large form slightly hunched.  Full lips pursed as his mind milled over her question.  Dirty, grease stained fingernails scratched at the scruff of his beard.  Then, suddenly, it struck him.

“No.  That’s the worst thing you could do.”  Nef startled himself as the words left from his mouth.

“Why?”  The answer from him in low, cool tone.

“Because when you scream out anyone can hear you.  Friend or foe.”

“And we have heard them.”  He watched as a dark smile curled at the edges of her mouth.  He watched her approach him with the same grace a dangerous animal uses to stalk their prey.  Her fingers danced deftly over the holo-tablet in her hand. The image projected changed from a Thrasher to a Hulk.  “However, it goes deeper.  What do you see?”

“A Hulk.”  Nef responded numbly.

“And now?”   Her fingers swiped over the screen and the image flickered shifting into a jump freighter.”

“An Anshar.”  Nef’s response came a little slowly this time, but it wasn’t due to lack of ship knowledge.  She knew he studied at Pator Tech School, so what was she trying to prove?

“And now?” The holo-image flicked a final time.

“An Orca.”

“Now, why would it benefit The Swarm to destroy these ships?” She gently laid the tablet down on the large fitting console positioned near the edge of the ship hanger.  “What little side project would...”

“OTEC.”  He was breathless as the word left his lips.  Nef was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn’t realize her cut off nor did he realize he was holding his breath.  His response did seem to please her. 

“And what better way to show them the error of their ways then to have them pay us to destroy them.”  The sweetness of her voice frightened him more than the darkness that laced her tone, but her smile.  Her smile terrified him.  “Like I said, you were partially right.  It’s part business and part... re-education.  Being an asshole is simply a perk.”

Bad At Eve: Burn Jita

As I'm writing this, Burn Jita is in full effect and deep into it's third day.  It's been a fantastic experience which has been noted by gaming media [Euro Gamer|PCGamer], global media and all the savvy Eve Online players that take the time to pay attention to the meta game.  I mention that because even with podcast coverage, forum tears and a splash screen courtesy of CCP Games; people are still getting space murdered by the hundreds in a variety of expensive ships.

Seriously.  What the hell people? It's called "Awareness."

Now it's no secret that I enjoy a good gank.  I was a negative -10 and earlier this morning I manage to take my almost -6 back to a -8.8.  None of my kills were fantastically expensive or anything like that.  In fact most of my ganking attempts were pretty botched.  I could go on an on about all the external reasons why my ganks went to badly, but let's face it.  I'm just bad at Eve.

Above is a little video I made.  I've gotten in to the whole FRAPSing thing and I managed to remember to turn it on during one of my ganks.  For this particular fleet the FC was pmchem of Goonswarm.  In praise of pmchem; he was one of the few FCs mindful enough to incorporate tactics to allow pilots with already piss poor sec status to participate.  I'm thankful for that as I had been searching for a fleet since Thursday and was starting to get pretty pissed off about not finding one.

So let's take a look at this video.  Due to sizing I had to cut out the fit, but it was nothing more than a standard thrasher gank fit.  7 artys in the tops, 2 seeboos in the mids and 2 gyro's in the lows.  Pretty standard with faction ammo.  Some prefer fusion and others plasma.  Really it all depends on how close your warp in can get to the target.

The first thing you'll probably notice about the video is the opening warp.  I'm sideways.  It's a glitch, but it's a cool glitch.  It can most likely be chalked up to the local cap of 2200+/- and the 50% TiDi going on, both of which are clear in the video.

Now as I warp in, the intended target is already getting blown to smithereens.  Our fleet was mixed with positive and negative sec status pilots.  When the FC would call for the warp in, those with poor sec status would have to warp to an instant undock and then warp to the target while those with better sec status were able to warp directly.  This caused some of us to "show up late" and ultimately loose out on kills.  Couple that with the delightful "Are you sure? Please click yes/no" box (OMG can't wait for crimewatch safety trigger) and I missed the kill.  Pretty crappy, but dammit I will not be denied!

This is where the panic sets in.  Concord is after me.  Faction police are after me.  Other pilots are after me. If I'm going to kill something, I need to be decisive and kill something quick.  I take my chances, click on a bunch of random things, hot lock my grouped guns and hope for the best.  The best was a shuttle.  I'm not thrilled, but dammit it's something!

End of story; my ship explodes and I get my pod the hell out of dodge.  Not the best gank of Burn Jita, but it's my gank.

Shuttle Kill Mail: http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=13206718
My Loss Mail: http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=13206717

Credits:
Opening Image: Sayyadinda Drain of MRCHI
Music: Lies by Big C TV
Terrible Piloting: Me