Today was quite a day for me. Things were a bit slow in Delve, so I logged on to find RvB had a small gang (10 or less), frigate, free-for-all weekend. For the first time, I decided to give it a go and take the helm as FC. I've been flying on and off with RvB for the better part of a year now, and the small gang FFA weekends are some of my favorites. Worst that could happen is that I lose 10 frigs, I was pretty sure that the RvBers would survive that atrocity.
I've got to say, its pretty thrilling to be the guy making the calls. On the first go, I took the fleet out towards Red HQ through Josameto. A gang lead by a Taranis and a Slicer spread us out a bit and picked off a few of our guys. That one was my fault. I shouldn't have let the Slicer draw us apart without good reason. A few guys died, a few got out. I went down under fire from the Taranis, and apparently he ended up slipping away in hull after I warped my pod off. Damn.
We reshipped and headed back out, this time with more success. First, we caught the notorious Patrick Kasper in his Hookbill on Blue HQ. Always good to get Patrick, a fantastic solo artist. Then we went out towards Otela again, hoping for better results. I had us set up a camp on the Josameto side of the Otela gate, waiting for prey. Our forward scout reported a Merlin engaging him on the other side of the gate, so we jumped through and locked him up. The Merlin had some mates join, and it was a decent clash. We traded some kills and got out of there ASAP.
One of the last things that we caught on the day was a Harpy who was sitting at a corp bookmark. Tisk, tisk. Great work by one of our scouts to realize and get point on him.
Overall, I'd grade myself at about a B/B- on the day. We got some kills, sustained some losses, but it wasn't anything too terrible. I think I managed the fleet well, including communicating back and forth with the scouts. Target calling seemed to go fairly well too. There are certainly things to improve upon though. The biggest example I had today was to not take bait from ships like the Slicer. There's no excuse for giving away easy kills. The other big thing was just learning to think more like an FC. Some calls were just a hair slow - I'm used to being on the listening end of the target calling and fleet movements. I think it'll all tighten up with experience.
My advice to potential FC's is to go out and try it. Take out a cheap fleet and see what you can do. Don't go in totally blind. Know the area, know your corporation and definitely know general pvp mechanics first, but once you've got that down, give it a shot. Its pretty rewarding to see what you can do at the controls. I'll be out again soon for sure.
Showing posts with label RVB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RVB. Show all posts
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Learning From My Mistakes
In RvB, a small in-house tournament just got underway. Its 4 rounds of double elimination format, set up by one of the Blue FC's, Uclanchar. The rules are pretty standard: T1 frigs with all T1 fittings, ammo and drones. Any meta level is fair game. The tournament seemed like good fun and it is a pretty laid back format, so I threw 1M isk to Uclan for the entry fee and headed to Jita to fit a ship. To me, the ship choice was clear. After getting beat up by an Incursus a week ago, I knew that ship had the firepower I needed.
I modified the fit I posted earlier this week to all T1 stuff, most of it being meta 4. I'm not going to post the exact fit as the tournament is still going on, but let's just say that by dropping from T2 gear I had the ability to put a little something extra on the previous fit.
My opponent and I warped in on the anchor, both of us at zero. He was in a Tormentor. I don't think I'd ever fought one before, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. As it turns out, he had lasers and a nos. I engaged him with the full force of my blasters and my measly little Hobgoblin I, and I was pouring DPS. I got him below shields first, and he started repairing armor. Once he got me into armor, my overheated repairer was working like a charm. I took him down without too much trouble and didn't even cause any heat damage to the repper. Here's the killmail. Also, Uclan was kind enough to Fraps all of the fights from the anchor's perspective. It's nothing too special, but here it is.
Just as a side note, I love corp contests like these. I think its a blast for everyone involved. 0UCH used to run monthly FFA's and they were great for corp morale too. Looking forward to the next match.
I modified the fit I posted earlier this week to all T1 stuff, most of it being meta 4. I'm not going to post the exact fit as the tournament is still going on, but let's just say that by dropping from T2 gear I had the ability to put a little something extra on the previous fit.
My opponent and I warped in on the anchor, both of us at zero. He was in a Tormentor. I don't think I'd ever fought one before, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. As it turns out, he had lasers and a nos. I engaged him with the full force of my blasters and my measly little Hobgoblin I, and I was pouring DPS. I got him below shields first, and he started repairing armor. Once he got me into armor, my overheated repairer was working like a charm. I took him down without too much trouble and didn't even cause any heat damage to the repper. Here's the killmail. Also, Uclan was kind enough to Fraps all of the fights from the anchor's perspective. It's nothing too special, but here it is.
Just as a side note, I love corp contests like these. I think its a blast for everyone involved. 0UCH used to run monthly FFA's and they were great for corp morale too. Looking forward to the next match.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Post-Inferno Incursus
The other day I was roaming about the Forge and wandered into RvB's FFA system. I'll poke my head in there sometimes, but its often unoccupied. I was in a trusty Rifter and feeling pretty cocky. I saw an Incursus jump through the gate and knew I had him from the start. I was doing everything right. I was keeping out by the edge of scram range to utilize my falloff versus his, overheating guns. When he got me into armor, I had my overheated small repairer ready to go. There was no way I was losing the fight.
TFirish3's Rifter was destroyed.
At first I was confused. I had him to low armor at one point and I was sitting pretty. After the fight, the pilot asked me how I was pumping out so much DPS without any damage mods. I'm pretty sure we both thought I had it. So what happened?
Inferno happened. I had forgotten all about the buff to Incursuses (Incursi?), and to Merlins for that matter. The previous bonus to falloff was instead changed to an armor repair bonus, and there was some more general tweaking. I fired up PyFa today to see just how strong the Incursus has become. Results are as follows:
[Incursus, Inferno Incursus]
Damage Control II
Small Armor Repairer II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
1MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
[Empty Rig slot]
Hobgoblin II x1
Well that's quite a fit. I was able to pack on a full rack of neutron (most powerful) blasters, the full MWD/scram/web complement, and still had 4 slots in the lows to play with. The small armor repairer is a must-have for the solo/small gang option. After that, it was all about boosting resists and speed. With this little fit, the Incursus has 195 DPS, 57.5 HP/s repair, and goes about 3.3 km/s. On the other hand, that Rifter I lost has 126 DPS, 40.1 HP/s repair, and does about 1 km/s (Afterburner fit, still has room for MWD if desired). No wonder why I lost. That's one heck of a boost for the Incursus.
Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting the delivery from Red Frog Freight to Blue HQ in Liekuri. Its nice to see Gallente ships becoming useful again. Incursus, here I come.
TFirish3's Rifter was destroyed.
At first I was confused. I had him to low armor at one point and I was sitting pretty. After the fight, the pilot asked me how I was pumping out so much DPS without any damage mods. I'm pretty sure we both thought I had it. So what happened?
Inferno happened. I had forgotten all about the buff to Incursuses (Incursi?), and to Merlins for that matter. The previous bonus to falloff was instead changed to an armor repair bonus, and there was some more general tweaking. I fired up PyFa today to see just how strong the Incursus has become. Results are as follows:
[Incursus, Inferno Incursus]
Damage Control II
Small Armor Repairer II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
1MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
[Empty Rig slot]
Hobgoblin II x1
Well that's quite a fit. I was able to pack on a full rack of neutron (most powerful) blasters, the full MWD/scram/web complement, and still had 4 slots in the lows to play with. The small armor repairer is a must-have for the solo/small gang option. After that, it was all about boosting resists and speed. With this little fit, the Incursus has 195 DPS, 57.5 HP/s repair, and goes about 3.3 km/s. On the other hand, that Rifter I lost has 126 DPS, 40.1 HP/s repair, and does about 1 km/s (Afterburner fit, still has room for MWD if desired). No wonder why I lost. That's one heck of a boost for the Incursus.
Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting the delivery from Red Frog Freight to Blue HQ in Liekuri. Its nice to see Gallente ships becoming useful again. Incursus, here I come.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
RvB Ganked 27: Kotuku
Ganked night is a tradition in RvB that takes a themed fleet out to nullsec and pretty much welps it into anything it can find. Despite being in RvB for the better part of a year now, I've managed to not make it out to a single one until today. I'm not going to make that mistake again. These fleets are awesome (and open to the public!).
The theme for Ganked 27 was missile ships in honor of the new launcher and missile effects on Tranquility. The fleet had tons of different ships: Drakes, Caracals, bombers of all types, and even a Raven or two. The fleet was over 80 strong to start. Personally, I decided to go with a typical nano Drake. I know that seems pretty boring, but I've actually never really flown them. Plus, what could be more appropriate for a missile themed roam? Here's the fit:
[Drake, Nano Drake]
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Warp Disruptor II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Warrior II x5
The Ganked roams kick off from Rens, so I grabbed a fresh jump clone from Dodixie and fit my Drake. We set out through Great Wildlands. That entire region was pretty dead, but it was good to get new guys used to the large fleet movements. Next we headed into Curse. Not surprisingly it was a bit more active. A fairly large gang from Raiden kept after us. They first gave us a go by cynoing in from a Devoter. In came a Damnation, more Devoters, and a metric ton of Abbadons. Most of the gang was able to burn out, and we managed to get the initial cyno Devoter. I'm not sure how many we lost on the engagement. The Raiden gang followed us for a couple more jumps, but there was a similar result. I'm sure we lost a few, but we took out another Devoter. Most of the gang was able to burn out though.
At that point, we ran off towards a lowsec system for a quick break. We took 45 minutes off and formed up to hit it again. Numbers were still over 90 pilots for the second go. The gang snagged a Tornado on our way out towards Providence. A poor Hawk also jumped into the gang once we were in Providence, but I wasn't nearly quick enough to get on that mail.
As we pushed into CVA space, we found a small fleet of ratting ships. The fleet managed to snag an Apocalypse kill worth about 500M isk. A little faction pimped for a standard Apoc, huh? The interesting thing is that I actually flew for the same corp about a year ago when I was still a big carebear. Crazy how times have changed for me over the past year.
On the third leg of the trip, we set our eventual destination for HED-GP. At this point, I'd been missing out on a lot of kills because a Drake takes too darn long to lock and we had a lot of DPS still. Remind me to pack a SeBo for the next one. Anyway, the fleet size was still around 60+ pilots, which is great. We picked up some kills en route & made it to HED safely. Finally we drew the attention of a well-organized AAA gang. There were a couple of Machariels, some Cynabals, a ton of BCs, HICs and 4-6 Scimitars. Somehow I managed to get myself primaried and podded pretty quick. I didn't mind too much as it had been quite a long day of roaming, but I would have liked to kill something before I went down.
It was an awesome day all around though. Special thanks to Mangala for getting it together. Also, thanks has to go out to everyone in fleet for the great work all day, both in fighting and in the spectacular local spam, ranging from facts about the Queen of England to some softcore porn. I'll be seeing you at future Ganked events.
Gentlemen, The Queen.
The theme for Ganked 27 was missile ships in honor of the new launcher and missile effects on Tranquility. The fleet had tons of different ships: Drakes, Caracals, bombers of all types, and even a Raven or two. The fleet was over 80 strong to start. Personally, I decided to go with a typical nano Drake. I know that seems pretty boring, but I've actually never really flown them. Plus, what could be more appropriate for a missile themed roam? Here's the fit:
[Drake, Nano Drake]
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Warp Disruptor II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Warrior II x5
The Ganked roams kick off from Rens, so I grabbed a fresh jump clone from Dodixie and fit my Drake. We set out through Great Wildlands. That entire region was pretty dead, but it was good to get new guys used to the large fleet movements. Next we headed into Curse. Not surprisingly it was a bit more active. A fairly large gang from Raiden kept after us. They first gave us a go by cynoing in from a Devoter. In came a Damnation, more Devoters, and a metric ton of Abbadons. Most of the gang was able to burn out, and we managed to get the initial cyno Devoter. I'm not sure how many we lost on the engagement. The Raiden gang followed us for a couple more jumps, but there was a similar result. I'm sure we lost a few, but we took out another Devoter. Most of the gang was able to burn out though.
At that point, we ran off towards a lowsec system for a quick break. We took 45 minutes off and formed up to hit it again. Numbers were still over 90 pilots for the second go. The gang snagged a Tornado on our way out towards Providence. A poor Hawk also jumped into the gang once we were in Providence, but I wasn't nearly quick enough to get on that mail.
As we pushed into CVA space, we found a small fleet of ratting ships. The fleet managed to snag an Apocalypse kill worth about 500M isk. A little faction pimped for a standard Apoc, huh? The interesting thing is that I actually flew for the same corp about a year ago when I was still a big carebear. Crazy how times have changed for me over the past year.
On the third leg of the trip, we set our eventual destination for HED-GP. At this point, I'd been missing out on a lot of kills because a Drake takes too darn long to lock and we had a lot of DPS still. Remind me to pack a SeBo for the next one. Anyway, the fleet size was still around 60+ pilots, which is great. We picked up some kills en route & made it to HED safely. Finally we drew the attention of a well-organized AAA gang. There were a couple of Machariels, some Cynabals, a ton of BCs, HICs and 4-6 Scimitars. Somehow I managed to get myself primaried and podded pretty quick. I didn't mind too much as it had been quite a long day of roaming, but I would have liked to kill something before I went down.
It was an awesome day all around though. Special thanks to Mangala for getting it together. Also, thanks has to go out to everyone in fleet for the great work all day, both in fighting and in the spectacular local spam, ranging from facts about the Queen of England to some softcore porn. I'll be seeing you at future Ganked events.
Gentlemen, The Queen.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
RvB Small Gang Weekend
A lot of people knock RvB, saying its too blobby and there's no strategy. I totally understand that. This weekend, the RvB leadership decided to do something different: no fleets above one squad (10 pilots). The leadership runs these themed weekends pretty often. A couple of the usual flavors are Kitchen Sink (anything goes) and Serendipitous (T1 Cruiser and below, no faction or T2). This was the first go at the small fleet weekend, and its been a blast.
The norm at RvB is to jump into a large fleet and smash into each other. That's all well and good, but it can actually turn into a game of "What ship should I bring so that I don't get primaried but I'm still effective." This small fleet weekend was totally different. With gangs of no more than 10 rolling around the home systems, every pilot mattered. With such small gangs, EWAR and ship selection becomes really important. With all electronic warfare, its great in small gangs, but it doesn't necessarily scale too well. In these gangs, we used tracking disruptors quite a bit. We also used some unconventional fittings, such as gank Mallers fit with blasters. I was on for a pretty long duration of the night and it was a blast.
I hope RvB continues this event, and I believe that they will. More people can FC, more people matter, and thinking differently matters. Tonight wasn't about just DPS, tank, follow fleet instructions. It was about full small gang operation. It was great to see 2-4 small fleets going out for either side. There was also more people going out and trying some solo Pvp as well. I loved the theme, and its definitely here to stay in RvB.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Popping a Cherry
So I logged in for about 20 minutes last night. RvB sent out a few corp mails about a new system meant for players to solo in where you could take on either Reds or Blues, regardless of what corp you were fighting for. The only restrictions on the system were T1 only and Battlecruiser or below. I had no problems with that. No jerks (potentially me) running around in a T3 beating up on the new kids.
I grabbed a Hurricane I had laying around and set off for the solo system. I dodged a pretty big fleet fight coming out of the new Blue home system. I guess I was pretty lucky that Red FC's didn't notice in time. Anyway, I got to the inbound gate to the destination system and I saw a Catalyst there. I didn't think I'd be able to catch him, but I gave it a shot. I popped my Warrior IIs out there and let into him with my Autocannons. I was surprised when I got point on him. He went down pretty darn easily.
After I took him out, I looked at his corp history. The character was rolled within the past week and the first player corp he joined was Red. I checked his KB to see that I was the first person to kill him! Woohoo popped his cherry! In all likelihood, it was an alt of somebody not paying attention. Just in case it was a new player though, I decided to reimburse him for the Catalyst and throw in a little more. I was just in that kind of mood I guess. Anyway, it was a cool experience for me, and regardless of whether or not he was brand new, I love seeing the new faces around RvB. The growth of the corporation coupled with the location change has really shaken things up. I'm still enjoying it quite a bit, although I'm starting to itch for a good NullSec roam soon.
I grabbed a Hurricane I had laying around and set off for the solo system. I dodged a pretty big fleet fight coming out of the new Blue home system. I guess I was pretty lucky that Red FC's didn't notice in time. Anyway, I got to the inbound gate to the destination system and I saw a Catalyst there. I didn't think I'd be able to catch him, but I gave it a shot. I popped my Warrior IIs out there and let into him with my Autocannons. I was surprised when I got point on him. He went down pretty darn easily.
After I took him out, I looked at his corp history. The character was rolled within the past week and the first player corp he joined was Red. I checked his KB to see that I was the first person to kill him! Woohoo popped his cherry! In all likelihood, it was an alt of somebody not paying attention. Just in case it was a new player though, I decided to reimburse him for the Catalyst and throw in a little more. I was just in that kind of mood I guess. Anyway, it was a cool experience for me, and regardless of whether or not he was brand new, I love seeing the new faces around RvB. The growth of the corporation coupled with the location change has really shaken things up. I'm still enjoying it quite a bit, although I'm starting to itch for a good NullSec roam soon.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Weekend Review 3/4
Well it was actually a pretty solid weekend for me in RvB. Initially I didn't feel like being part of the blob and I've been trying to get out and nab some solo kills, so I made for Jan, which is the LowSec system next door to the Blue Headquarters. I hung around there for a couple hours, but not too much came through. I popped a few cyno alts, but that was about it.
I can't believe how quickly security status drops though. I was at -0.4 to start the day, and just after three little cyno alts, my sec status is down to -1.3. I'm still trying to make up my mind as to whether or not I want to go pirate on my main. I actually really like the idea of being a flashy red, but I'm not a huge fan of the logistics strain its puts on me. If any legitimate pirate corps are recruiting now a days though, I'd be very interested in joining up. Play time can still be quite limited during the week due to trying to wrap up my engineering degree, but I'm as active as I can be at the moment.
After waiting out 3 different GCC timers and the intermediate roaming around, I headed back to high sec to see what was going on with my RvB comrades. As I mentioned in my last post, RvB membership went through the roof this weekend for both corporations. Overall there was nothing too crazy here, but there were some good FCs online, and believe me that makes all the difference. Over the course of the weekend, I actually went 42-3, which is easily my most productive weekend to date. I still know its not hardcore PvP, but I'm also still having fun, so I've got no complaints.
I probably won't be able to log in much until the weekend, but Friday happens to be my birthday. I think I am going to go for a faction fit Daredevil to celebrate. I may arse around RvB to start, but I'm going to jump in a no-implant clone and head towards nullsec until I get popped. An early happy birthday to me then!
I can't believe how quickly security status drops though. I was at -0.4 to start the day, and just after three little cyno alts, my sec status is down to -1.3. I'm still trying to make up my mind as to whether or not I want to go pirate on my main. I actually really like the idea of being a flashy red, but I'm not a huge fan of the logistics strain its puts on me. If any legitimate pirate corps are recruiting now a days though, I'd be very interested in joining up. Play time can still be quite limited during the week due to trying to wrap up my engineering degree, but I'm as active as I can be at the moment.
After waiting out 3 different GCC timers and the intermediate roaming around, I headed back to high sec to see what was going on with my RvB comrades. As I mentioned in my last post, RvB membership went through the roof this weekend for both corporations. Overall there was nothing too crazy here, but there were some good FCs online, and believe me that makes all the difference. Over the course of the weekend, I actually went 42-3, which is easily my most productive weekend to date. I still know its not hardcore PvP, but I'm also still having fun, so I've got no complaints.
I probably won't be able to log in much until the weekend, but Friday happens to be my birthday. I think I am going to go for a faction fit Daredevil to celebrate. I may arse around RvB to start, but I'm going to jump in a no-implant clone and head towards nullsec until I get popped. An early happy birthday to me then!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
RvB Membership Explosion
 |
| Blue Membership |
 |
| Red Membership |
I'd say the sudden growth strained the RvB directors a bit this weekend. I heard the influx of applications was pretty overwhelming, and tough to get the appropriate information out to all of the new players too. Also, our little rhythm of grabbing 15-20 pilots and meeting the Reds in Akon was a little out of whack too. It was no problem hitting 50+ fleets and often FC's had to take the advert down.
The next couple weeks will be telling as to how appealing RvB is to the masses. If all of these new players enjoy their experience, both corporations could undergo really massive changes in trying to deal with becoming some of the larger alliances in the game. I'd love to see the two corporations start employing multiple fleets or even themed support. The first thing that came to mind was a typical Cruiser/Frig fleet supported by a group of Tier 3 BC's to warp in and snipe. Regardless, more numbers should make for more ability to pick off loners in 1v1 situations and bigger fleet fights. It should be a great thing for the corporation unless all of these new members turn into more station humpers who can't undock without overwhelming odds in their favor. Believe me, I'm hoping for the former.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Gladiators of Eve & Arena Warfare
There has been a bit of buzz over the past week or so about finding good fights and the idea of arenas in Eve. One of the first things that struck me was a series of tweets by the Mittani:
"I withdraw any support for 'arenas' or 'battlegrounds' in#eveonline, it already exists in RvB. Holy shit this owns. #tweetfleet"
"Red vs Blue is one of the coolest things in#eveonline, holy shit. Been riftering all day, can't stop. #tweetfleet"
I think its cool that Mittani is checking out RvB. Its a great corp, and for the amount of play time I have right now, I think its an awesome place for some quick, fun pvp. The topic of getting good fights continued though. Over at Scram Web, Toterra wrote about the existing "arenas" in Eve, and its actually a nice little guide detailing some of the places you can get guaranteed fights against some pilots who really know their stuff. We're talking Amamake, Tama, Hevrice, the Syndicate region, etc. Its a pretty handy little run down.
The next day, there was a mini-guide posted over at Rifter Drifter on finding good fights. It actually mentions a lot of the same information, but Wensley also throws in some tactical information such as how to use the in-game and Dotlan maps among other things. Between the two of these articles, one would think you've got everything you need to find some combat, and you definitely can.
My argument is this: Eve is a great game as it stands, but I think there could definitely be an arena style of play that would be both incredibly fun and not detrimental to the rest of the game at large. Taking a look at the current Eve, there is nothing like this. In looking for a fair fight, you never know if that one pilot really is just one. Does he have friends? Is there a Loki booster alt around the corner? Is he packing a cyno for that Nyx in a Pos a few systems over? For the most part, this is what makes the game great. Every fight could escalate, and someone can always tip the scales in their favor via support or tactics. Wouldn't it be nice though if once in a while you could ensure a fair fight?
Right now, there is no mechanic to get a legitimately fair battle. Low/Null sec both always have the possibility of someone else lurking around you. RvB is perhaps close at times, especially when FC's arrange fights. The problem here is that you get yelled at for bringing anything bigger than a cruiser, and there is no strategy to the gangs. Its a bunch of Rifters, Punishers and Merlins versus another blob of Rifters, Punishers and Merlins. FC's pick targets at random, or at best they pick the more well known RvBers, and ships blow up. Approach, Orbit, Scram, Web, Guns, Overheat. Repeat til you blow up or they do. Its either that or the typical asymmetric warfare characterized by typical Eve combat. Don't get me wrong, I love RvB. Its just that its not the "arena" that Mittens and others claim it to be.
What I want is a mechanic that provides a system akin to the Alliance Tournament. Set up a few "stadiums" across New Eden (maybe 2-3 in each region). Once you get to a stadium, you can register your fleet (or open it to corp/alliance), and set your Rules of Engagement. If you want 5v5, any fleet composition, then you've got it. If you want 10v10 with full Alliance Tournament balancing rules, its yours. Once you set the preferences, you lock your ships in. Then, the contract for this fight is either open to the public or you can make it private in order to get a fight with a specific opposition. There could even be betting on the fight. The two entities could put up isk and pimped out ships and modules for prizes. Other pilots can see a beacon on the overview akin to a cyno when the fight begins, but they are not able to attack, repair, or pass bonuses to anyone in the fight.
I know a lot of people will flame because they say a mechanic like this will ruin Eve. But let's look at the facts. For one, some alliances in the Syndicate region already ran their own little Alliance Tournament, which shows some interest to begin with. Congratulations to Rote Kappelle on the victory for that one by the way. Details and a few great videos are available on Jester's Trek, of course. We have a chance to create the coliseum of New Eden, where each one of us is a gladiator to take part. No neutral boosting, repping or station games. Just a fair fight, rules laid out, and everyone is watching. I'm on board.
"I withdraw any support for 'arenas' or 'battlegrounds' in
"Red vs Blue is one of the coolest things in
I think its cool that Mittani is checking out RvB. Its a great corp, and for the amount of play time I have right now, I think its an awesome place for some quick, fun pvp. The topic of getting good fights continued though. Over at Scram Web, Toterra wrote about the existing "arenas" in Eve, and its actually a nice little guide detailing some of the places you can get guaranteed fights against some pilots who really know their stuff. We're talking Amamake, Tama, Hevrice, the Syndicate region, etc. Its a pretty handy little run down.
The next day, there was a mini-guide posted over at Rifter Drifter on finding good fights. It actually mentions a lot of the same information, but Wensley also throws in some tactical information such as how to use the in-game and Dotlan maps among other things. Between the two of these articles, one would think you've got everything you need to find some combat, and you definitely can.
My argument is this: Eve is a great game as it stands, but I think there could definitely be an arena style of play that would be both incredibly fun and not detrimental to the rest of the game at large. Taking a look at the current Eve, there is nothing like this. In looking for a fair fight, you never know if that one pilot really is just one. Does he have friends? Is there a Loki booster alt around the corner? Is he packing a cyno for that Nyx in a Pos a few systems over? For the most part, this is what makes the game great. Every fight could escalate, and someone can always tip the scales in their favor via support or tactics. Wouldn't it be nice though if once in a while you could ensure a fair fight?
Right now, there is no mechanic to get a legitimately fair battle. Low/Null sec both always have the possibility of someone else lurking around you. RvB is perhaps close at times, especially when FC's arrange fights. The problem here is that you get yelled at for bringing anything bigger than a cruiser, and there is no strategy to the gangs. Its a bunch of Rifters, Punishers and Merlins versus another blob of Rifters, Punishers and Merlins. FC's pick targets at random, or at best they pick the more well known RvBers, and ships blow up. Approach, Orbit, Scram, Web, Guns, Overheat. Repeat til you blow up or they do. Its either that or the typical asymmetric warfare characterized by typical Eve combat. Don't get me wrong, I love RvB. Its just that its not the "arena" that Mittens and others claim it to be.
What I want is a mechanic that provides a system akin to the Alliance Tournament. Set up a few "stadiums" across New Eden (maybe 2-3 in each region). Once you get to a stadium, you can register your fleet (or open it to corp/alliance), and set your Rules of Engagement. If you want 5v5, any fleet composition, then you've got it. If you want 10v10 with full Alliance Tournament balancing rules, its yours. Once you set the preferences, you lock your ships in. Then, the contract for this fight is either open to the public or you can make it private in order to get a fight with a specific opposition. There could even be betting on the fight. The two entities could put up isk and pimped out ships and modules for prizes. Other pilots can see a beacon on the overview akin to a cyno when the fight begins, but they are not able to attack, repair, or pass bonuses to anyone in the fight.
I know a lot of people will flame because they say a mechanic like this will ruin Eve. But let's look at the facts. For one, some alliances in the Syndicate region already ran their own little Alliance Tournament, which shows some interest to begin with. Congratulations to Rote Kappelle on the victory for that one by the way. Details and a few great videos are available on Jester's Trek, of course. We have a chance to create the coliseum of New Eden, where each one of us is a gladiator to take part. No neutral boosting, repping or station games. Just a fair fight, rules laid out, and everyone is watching. I'm on board.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Weekend Review 2/20
Happy Monday, capsuleers! Sorry, I know that wasn't funny. Anyway, not too much going on here, but wanted to get an update out as a few minor things this weekend. First of all, the interview with Kelduum and Hans Jagerblitzen is now up on the Voices From the Void Podcast. I haven't had a chance to get to listen to it yet, as RL is fairly busy this week. I'm hoping to find some time for it tonight though. I'm particularly looking forward to hearing more from Hans; I hope the V and V crew gave him some tough ones.
Wasn't able to log on a ton this weekend, but I still managed to get a couple good fights. I hopped in fleet yesterday evening, and the Red fleet was pretty quiet. A Vexor jumped into our fleet that was sitting on the Hageken gate, and I managed to get the killing blow, which is always nice. Other than that, it was a lot of hurry up and wait. We did manage to get into a fight with some war targets though. A scout relayed that they had tried to take cover in a dead end system, so we camped them in for a while. A Harbinger came out, quickly followed by a Guardian. The Harbinger was humping the gate, and so he eventually disengaged and jumped, but we made pretty quick work of the heavily webbed Guardian, and he dropped almost instantly. Its a shame none of his faction mods dropped. No big deal though. As it turns out, my trade alt climbed over 10 billion isk over the weekend! I may have to take out some more shiny ships and have some fun. Or maybe a little birthday present to myself (early March, take note of course). Perhaps a pimped Daredevil or something? I'm certainly open to suggestions!
Look for a review of Kelduum and Hans as I get a chance to listen to the V&V podcast later. Fly safe everyone.
Wasn't able to log on a ton this weekend, but I still managed to get a couple good fights. I hopped in fleet yesterday evening, and the Red fleet was pretty quiet. A Vexor jumped into our fleet that was sitting on the Hageken gate, and I managed to get the killing blow, which is always nice. Other than that, it was a lot of hurry up and wait. We did manage to get into a fight with some war targets though. A scout relayed that they had tried to take cover in a dead end system, so we camped them in for a while. A Harbinger came out, quickly followed by a Guardian. The Harbinger was humping the gate, and so he eventually disengaged and jumped, but we made pretty quick work of the heavily webbed Guardian, and he dropped almost instantly. Its a shame none of his faction mods dropped. No big deal though. As it turns out, my trade alt climbed over 10 billion isk over the weekend! I may have to take out some more shiny ships and have some fun. Or maybe a little birthday present to myself (early March, take note of course). Perhaps a pimped Daredevil or something? I'm certainly open to suggestions!
Look for a review of Kelduum and Hans as I get a chance to listen to the V&V podcast later. Fly safe everyone.
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Places You Will Go
I've decided to do a post very much akin to Rixx Javix's "Getting Around the Neighborhood" series. I'm a big fan of statistics and infographics, so I figured I'd throw this one out there. Let's start right off with the graphic.
Although its still pretty condensed, this was actually year of pretty high mobility for me. With 0uch, I got out to the Ammatar and Curse regions for the first time. RVB has had me get to know the Lonetrek area pretty well, and its arguably become my home for the larger part of the year. Lastly, my brief time with MV put me into AAA space, including my first trip through HED-GP into Catch. I even got my first ride on a Titan. I saved over that picture (doh!), but I do have the first friendly Nyx I've interacted with.
Although its still pretty condensed, this was actually year of pretty high mobility for me. With 0uch, I got out to the Ammatar and Curse regions for the first time. RVB has had me get to know the Lonetrek area pretty well, and its arguably become my home for the larger part of the year. Lastly, my brief time with MV put me into AAA space, including my first trip through HED-GP into Catch. I even got my first ride on a Titan. I saved over that picture (doh!), but I do have the first friendly Nyx I've interacted with.
Overall its been a pretty good year. I've hardly become one of the space elite, but I'm still enjoying the ride, going into almost my 4th year!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Some Days You've Got it...
...and some days you don't. Today was the latter. I felt like I was always a step behind tonight, although it was good to log on and get some real combat outside of just ganking a Hulk (although I'm not complaining about that). I felt like I was always a step behind tonight. Entering local to see various people typing out the "gf's" indicative of the end of a battle seemed to be common.
On one such occasion, I managed to pop a Velator on its way out of Autaris \o/. Nothing like an unfitted noobship kill to boost your spirits, right? Anyway, the Reds finally engaged on Blue Headquarters. I was in a Taranis trying to bait this Vexor to engage. Finally he did, and sadly popped me and then docked before enough support was mustered to take him down.
The Reds came back in force though. 2 corpmates and myself decided to engage them and hero our Vexor and Rupture, sadly to no avail. I went down under the fire of mostly cruisers, including a sniping Thorax and a sniping Brutix. It was really just that type of night. Anyway, good to get back in the swing of things, and I should be able to log on a lot this week. I feel very rusty, not that I ever had any epic skills to begin with. It can only get better from here, right?
As a side note, I've been debating switching to a shield Rupture. I've been using an armor fit that has a pretty well bolstered tank, but I think I could pull off a nano shield Rupture using Barrage. It never hurts to have the extra speed. I'll see what I can come up with. Also in the notes of odds and ends, I have a few Tornados coming towards BHQ. This will be my first time flying them, and I'm pretty excited. They're a bit expensive for my liking given the current price of T2 large guns, but I'm not complaining too much. Hoping Red Frog comes through quickly on that contract! Anyway, that's all for now, goodnight New Eden
On one such occasion, I managed to pop a Velator on its way out of Autaris \o/. Nothing like an unfitted noobship kill to boost your spirits, right? Anyway, the Reds finally engaged on Blue Headquarters. I was in a Taranis trying to bait this Vexor to engage. Finally he did, and sadly popped me and then docked before enough support was mustered to take him down.
The Reds came back in force though. 2 corpmates and myself decided to engage them and hero our Vexor and Rupture, sadly to no avail. I went down under the fire of mostly cruisers, including a sniping Thorax and a sniping Brutix. It was really just that type of night. Anyway, good to get back in the swing of things, and I should be able to log on a lot this week. I feel very rusty, not that I ever had any epic skills to begin with. It can only get better from here, right?
As a side note, I've been debating switching to a shield Rupture. I've been using an armor fit that has a pretty well bolstered tank, but I think I could pull off a nano shield Rupture using Barrage. It never hurts to have the extra speed. I'll see what I can come up with. Also in the notes of odds and ends, I have a few Tornados coming towards BHQ. This will be my first time flying them, and I'm pretty excited. They're a bit expensive for my liking given the current price of T2 large guns, but I'm not complaining too much. Hoping Red Frog comes through quickly on that contract! Anyway, that's all for now, goodnight New Eden
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Weekend Review 12/4
I've decided I'll start doing a Weekend Review given that I'd like to have a regular series of posts and I'm primarily a weekend player. Fairly straight forward, huh?
Anyway, not a bad weekend in Eve, a bit uneventful. Friday was mostly playing station games, logging off 5-2, which is never too bad. I lost a Rifter and a Punisher before deciding to bring out the Drake. Saturday was a similar story, fleeting up and catching a few kills before dying in a fire courtesy of 18 red pilots.
I think that's one of the most frustrating things about RVB: the fleet warfare is evenly matched to the point where its a push, and without ECM or Logi's there's nothing really to tip the scales. That's why I've been pushing to get some 1v1's recently, although I don't arrange them. Arranged 1v1's are for sissies. I've been trying to get a decent fight in the Enyo since Crucible dropped last week, but it can be tough to pick off a lone guy in RVB sometimes. Its not for lack of effort though
Anyway, not a bad weekend in Eve, a bit uneventful. Friday was mostly playing station games, logging off 5-2, which is never too bad. I lost a Rifter and a Punisher before deciding to bring out the Drake. Saturday was a similar story, fleeting up and catching a few kills before dying in a fire courtesy of 18 red pilots.
I think that's one of the most frustrating things about RVB: the fleet warfare is evenly matched to the point where its a push, and without ECM or Logi's there's nothing really to tip the scales. That's why I've been pushing to get some 1v1's recently, although I don't arrange them. Arranged 1v1's are for sissies. I've been trying to get a decent fight in the Enyo since Crucible dropped last week, but it can be tough to pick off a lone guy in RVB sometimes. Its not for lack of effort though
My Enyo fit is pretty standard -- lots of DPS, armor tank and a small neut. Pre-Crucible, it has DPS just short of 300 before overheating. With the blaster buff (to include tracking, and therefore effective DPS), it should be an absolute beast. It is a little bit on the slow side, but I think if it gets within scram range, it should be good to go. Looking forward to testing it out when I find a good target.
I also picked up a Vagabond in Jita this weekend. I was looking at the numbers in EFT (Yes, I am an EFT whore. No, I don't think battles are fought in the fitting window.) and a Vaga loaded with Barrage looks like too much fun not to try. Similar situation as the Enyo though -- I don't want to lose it in a fleet battle where I'll get insta-primaried for flying something shiny.
Speaking of Jita by the way, I have a very strong urge to suicide gank someone's pod just to see what implants they have on the killmail. I've been dying to get this sec status down. Arty Thrasher, coming right up.
Anyway, I'm feeling the null sec bug start to bite me. I'm going to keep Tommy Rollins in RVB, but I think I'm taking TFirish3 out into the wild. RVB is great, but I'm looking for the real deal. I want small gang PVP for the moment. Blobs are boring, and I'm not too interested in hitting up Sov warfare at the moment. Smashing towers just doesn't do it for me. I'm thinking Syndicate though; it just kind of feels like home. I was actually in touch with a corp today about potentially joining up with them. Watch this space over the next couple weeks; I'm thinking I'll make the change pretty soon.
--Rollins
--Rollins
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