Racing Track

17 May 111, Preparations for ISRC Season 7 Exhibition Race 3
Tash-Murkon, Domain, Kor-Azor

At long last, I set up my first race :)

It went much, much better than I expected. It actually worked!

So, where to begin...

First, track design: I sat down with a map and doodled for fifteen minutes, was evil for another five and come up with 'special' ideas for multiple-can waypoints, but not too special. Check.

Then, waypoint setup. I bought as many secure audit containers as needed, click. Assembled each one, click-click-click. Named them as waypoints, click, tippety-tap, click. Filled each one of fifteen with FORTY copies of each waypoint bookmark, click-click-clickclickclickclick-coffeebreak-clickclick-giveup-comeback-click. Click. I mean, check.

Then, someone had to actually lay the track. Paul, being in the wrong corp (not ISRC) he had to ask his CEO for permission to set it up, which he got. Goodie. He flew all the way from Tash to Metropolis in a shuttle to pick his Covops, flew her back to Tash to pick up the cans and then went to Waypoint 15... only to realize he had no role to launch for corp.

A perfectly good hour, wasted.

I was up to me to fix his mess. So I fit a blockade runner for waypoint work, covops cloak, agility fit and token tank. On the up side, my hauler-turned-covops could carry all of the waypoints in a single load, as opposed to his little figate covops, which was good. All eggs, same basket. Check.

I started like an hour before the race, jumping and warping to each location, dropping the waypoint can and anchoring. It took so much more time than I expected, which delayed the race start for a bit. A lot more than a bit.

Anyway, I did build a track from zero, by myself, and I am quite proud of it. Check!

Is this what Killoy has to do before each single one of our season races? Wow, he deserves so much credit for this.

And, for those of you who did not know her, Gyra Rho did this for five whole seasons before KJ took over. And she ran PR before I took that over.

Gyra. She is probably in some beach having margaritas.

I miss Gyra. We all do. I wish she came back, if only for a while. Then she could have track setup, and I wold have her margaritas.

But I digress. We were set for the race!

Racing Series
See what happened before
See what happened next

EVE Blog Banter #8: Charisma Tanking

Welcome to the eighth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux.

This month's topic comes to us from Ga'len at The Wandering Druid of
Tranquility. He asks: "What new game mechanic or mechanics would you like to see created and brought into the EVE Online universe and how would this be incorporated into the current game universe? Be specific and give details, this is not meant to be a 'nerf this, boost my game play' post like we see on the EVE forums."

---

Crap, they were catching up. I aligned to the next gate and warped off, just as they came through.

For once I was not flying a frigate or an interceptor. Somehow I had decided to take a Stabber-class cruiser to an important rendezvous and now I was so regretting not having practiced on her for more time. I was being chased, they knew exactly what they were doing while I did not.

And they were slowly catching up. I hit the gate and jumped, with one or my pursuers slowing down from warp at 70 clicks. Oh, slow gate. On the other side I aligned and warped off, just as the tackler uncloaked and started to lock. Deeper into 0.0. I hit the next gate and jumped through with the guy 30 clicks behind me. I could already see the Huzzah Federation logo on his wings... this was going to hurt, soon.

On the other side, I was relieved to see friendly ships. I held my cloak as the gate flashed again for my pursuer, and again and again for two more of their gang - the ones too eager to chase me. We all held cloak while I hailed the Thukker battleship guarding the gate for assistance, hoping that my eight-plus standing with the Tribe would win me some sort of protection.

"The Thukker Tribe does not need enemies," they responded, curtly.

I thought fast, waited until my cloak dropped and then started burning towards the Thukker frigates - only for a few seconds as the Huzzah interceptor webbed me and the rest of his gang started locking on my ship.

"Hostile gang, the Thukker Tribe looks after their friends. You will pay for your mistake!"

Big mistake. Almost as soon as the Malediction was pinned in place by the Thukker frigates, it went poof and vaporized; the hostile Thorax and Rupture started unloading their guns on me as I turned to make a beeline towards the heavier guns of the friendly Tribals. Take that! They would have to either either run the gauntlet or run away.

They ran towards the gate. A Stabber wasn't worth it.

Moments later, salvage crews picked through the remains of the Rupture and the Malediction. Me? I had barely survived, in structure - were it not for the Thukker fleet intervening, I would not have made it.

The Battleship opened a channel.

"Red, you are late. Again."

"Fashionably late, Chief Ovi," I replied. "How nice to see you! Thanks for lending a hand with that rabble..."


--

That's what I would love, that standings with the pirate factions actually meant something in space.

You know, if you spend time on your networking skills, if you know people who know people, if you can handle hostile agents with tact and diplomacy... in short, if you show up as blue on some agent's desk, then why in the world should you not show up as blue to that faction's guns in space?

Making nice with pirate factions should mean that pirate factions are nice to you:

Pirate faction pilots would be neutral towards blues. They would not shoot you on sight, nor help you.

Pirate factions would react to aggression the same as always, of course. You shoot them or their friends, they shoot back and you lose standing. They'd be friendly but not stupid.

Pirate factions would shoot reds. Just like they do today.


With this, investing in standings or social skills (yah, right) would actually change the way that entire swaths of space look at you and, likewise, how you look at that space. The same way lowsec people invest in security status. The same way CONCORD does not like aggression. The same way Empire navies like friendly or dislike enemy militias.

I think pirate factions should hire a few ex-cops, to learn how it's done. 'Cause everyone but them do it.

Then, you could have dodgy friends in dark places, belts or gates (or, your target could, you never know). It would change the way you fit or the way you fly. The way you mission or the way you rat. Imagine surviving an ambush because... you warped back to a belt with friendly rats! :) Or jumping through a gate knowing there is help on the other side. It would spice up things.

I say that tank is anything that helps you survive. If friendlies will not shoot you to begin with, well... would that not be tank as well? Tank depending on social skills?

Definitely. I would call it Charisma Tanking.

---

List of participants:

1. CrazyKinux's Musing, EVE Blog Banter #8: Care for a little game of SecWars?
2. The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, Wow, that new thing is so shiny!!!
3. I am Keith Nielson, EVE Blog Banter #8 - Return of the Top Gun
4. Once More from the Beginning, 8th EVE Blog Banter May 2009 Edition
5. A merry life and a short one, EVE Blog Banter #8: In the Year of Our Awesome
6. Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, Planets
7. Helicity Boson, Bantering the blog
8. Achernar, Unique adventures
9. Ecliptic Rift, OOC: EVE Blog Banter 8: Standings and secondary factions
10. The New Edener, EVE Blog Banter #8
11. Journey to New Eden, Eve Blog Banter #8: What new mechanic should be added to Eve?
12. Life, The Universe and Everything, Blog banter 8: mentorship
13. EVE Guru, EBB 8: Yarr! Prepare to be boarded!
14. The Ralpha Dogs, Greed Is Good, Greed Works
15. Rifter Drifter, Blog Banter 8: Strategic Gunnery
16. A Mule in EVE, Expanding EVE
17. Letrange's EvE Blog, 8th Blog Banter
18. Roc's Ramblings, Blog Banter #8
19. The Nude Nerd, Blog Banter #8
20. Scop's Log, Blog Banter #8: "We're caught in a tractor beam! It's pulling us in!"
21. Speed Fairy, EVE Blog Banter #8: Charisma Tanking
22. Industrialist with Teeth, EVE Blog Banter #8: It's Like Tetris for OCD People
23. Diary of a Pod Pilot, EVE blog banter #8: Killing in the name of
24. Talk Unfraid, Physical Communications
More to come!

I left my newbie corp and all I got was... Insomnia

Name: Insomnia
Class: Ishtar Heavy Assault Ship
Manufacturer: CreoDron
Top Speed: 650 m/s
Warp Speed: 3.75 AU/s
Align time: 4.9
Service: None
Status: Not finished popping the bubblewrap
Freaky fact: She had a surprise gift in the cargohold

When some people graduate, they get a car.

Some get a trip to Lumi.

I received a fully fitted Ishtar from my friends!

I had mentioned my racing team that after graduation that I was at long last going to finish Cruisers V, then see what kind of fun ship I could get to fly then. In my mind I was flying an Arazu already -if it's cloaky, it must be good, non?- but Kay stoked my curiosity about an Ishtar... and actually persuaded me that one would be a good choice.

When I came back from vacation I had finished reading Cruisers and started with Heavy Assault Ships, aiming to ride on by the end of the week. As it turns out, before I was done training, my friends were out shopping for one.

There was an awkward moment when I told Kay I had proudly bought my first Ishtar. She was silent for a moment, my contracts started blinking and demon came back with something like "you already had an Ishtar. Look at contracts now."

Huh? Clearly something was going on behind my back.

Inside the giftbox

Wow! Hahaha, thank you Kay, demon and Searaph!

So I returned mine to the store (now she is a blockade runner) and went to Tash, to pick up the gift the very minute I was finished training.

The fit is very nice indeed, and almost everything is stuff I can use, except for the autocannons. Also, it all fits together with my skills. The last item in the cargohold was a sweet touch as well, I think I will call her "Fiona" and lodge her with the Ogres (sold separately).

Ogres on patrol

I think that the fit is meant for missioning, with the cap rechargers, the tank rigs and armor reps. Sit down, let the drones loose and wait. Tank, in the low slots, how odd -aligns in way over two seconds, definitely not a racer. I suspect it will need some changes before taking her into lowsec or a wormhole and, of course, a cloak on that free slot. Never leave home without your cloak. Now I just need to start training sentries, autocannons and start practicing.

Oh, and the name was such a nice, subtle touch. Insomnia.

Almost a hint. It means they want me to tag along missioning when it is very, very late at night...

This is the coolest graduation gift. Thank you so very much! :)

Racing Cancellations

27 April - 10 May 111, ISRC Season 7
Right before Race 5
Right before Exhibition Race 3
Right before Race 5
Right before Exhibition Race 3: Cruisers

So last Sunday we have had our third race cancellation, in a row. This month is turning out to be far trickier than we expected, with KJ and I alternatively caught in planetside stuff that we just can't avoid. I have had so little time to get anything done since last month...

Some of the racers did show up for the last one, Ayre, Cai Lun, demon, Kazuo, Searaph and Takashi, I am very happy they did... and so sorry that the race had to be called off. Promise to make it up to all of you.

Now the next race, that one should be a special one -at least for me. It is going to be the T1 cruisers exhibition race (exhibition as in, for fun rather than score) and it is going to be the first race I set up myself, starting from empty space.

I am terrified.

Not for me, mind you, it just that I don't want to get it wrong. Now I feel as if I picked the wrong week to hold the race and the wrong region to start. But, I have some ideas... You never know where Sunday's race is going to take you, or what you are going to find there.

This should be fun...

Racing Series
See what happened before
See what happened next

EVE Blog Banter #7: Never been a pirate Quin

I hope you guys do not mind that I am late to the party... about a week late or so? Anyway, welcome to the seventh installment of the EVE Blog Banter , the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux . The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here . Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

This month’s topic comes to us from CrazyKinux, and he asks: “What 3 things haven’t you done in EVE and why? Would you be willing to try one day? Why so? Why not?”

---

Well, I have been flying for two years and a half now and still have the feeling that I am ankle-deep into the sea of possibilities out there. I have done quite a bit, running missions, running courier, running around and running away. All the stuff with the racing league, organization and PR. People stuff. Scouting, scanning, some research and invention for going faster. Gone to 0.0 to work for them dodgy people. Went to a wormhole, once. Blogging ;) I have flown with wonderful people from several corps and had the best times with them.

And there is still so much I have not done...


Number 1: Joining a corp. I have been with my corp, Uni of Caille, for two years and a half. Why? I have always been afraid that I will not have enough time to commit myself to corp operations and stuff, so if I joined anything else I would end up being kicked out anyway. (Mind you, sometimes I do not even have time to blog, but I don't think anyone will kick me out of here :P) So I have made very good friends instead and I fly with them when I can. Money comes on its own, from the market.

I guess I have ignored corps until now but, you know, I think it has been long enough. So I finally decided to join six-year old Dragonstar corp about two weeks ago, right before vacation. Now that I am back, I find that my new corp is tearing itself apart in recriminations and stuff; I did not even have time to fly with any of them. Guess this goes back in the list: join a functional corp. First thing on my list.


Number 2: Be a spy. This seems to be quite frequent out there... people that join a corp just to betray it, or actually turn into one once inside or something like that. I have been often been accused of being a spy myself -still feeling quite insulted about that time I was invited, then not allowed to scout for that FDU fleet once, losers- but I guess it comes with being in a student corp such as UC, for years. Do I really look like an alt to you? But anyway, I think it is a question of character and of trust. Spying, it would be like throwing out the window everything I am, everything I have become since I started flying... so being a spy is one thing I will not be trying. Which, I guess, makes me sort of the ideal person to turn into a spy. Awww...

I'll say #2 never, but it's up to you to believe me ;)


Number 3: Shooting someone. I am beginning to suspect that I have been playing a different game. This is my third year flying and, well, other than rats and belt rabble, I do not think I have ever blown anyone's ship up. Not even in self-defense -I would have but it was over in like, two seconds. I have shot at people at practice, I have attended shootout contests... I have been podded by gatecamps. But I have never had the need to go all the way and, ah, help someone out of their ship. Or their pod.

I guess I do not believe in violence.

Same goes for the shooting-related professions like pirate of mercenary. I guess that people live off killing other people have their reasons. I don't. Yet. I mean, nothing in my mind, my story or background makes me lean towards living from piracy, or off shooting people. Who knows? Sometimes I do feel as I have painted myself into a corner.

But it's my corner...

So #3 is a maybe. Definitely. And it's going to be unbelievable.

---

- CrazyKinux's Musing, Eh, nobody told me you could do this in EVE!
- One Man and His Spaceship, Expanding My Horizons
- I am Keith Neilson, What do you want to do today?
- Rifter Drifter, Trinity
- Roc's Ramblings, The me I am not
- Morphisat's Blog, Treading waters unknown
- Sweet Little Bad Girl, Roads Not Followed
- A Mule in EvE, DD, defend against a gank & POS gunning
- Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, Choices
- The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, One, Two, Three...three things....hahahahaha
- The Ralpha Dogs, Road Not Taken... Or Not
- Melindhra's Universe, Where no one has gone before
- Life in Low Sec, Possibilities
- EVE Guru, EVE Blog Banter 7
- Diary of a Pod Pilot, Stones left unturned
- Flashfresh - The Pirate, This isn't me...
- Nefchast's Gaming Blog, CrazyKinux's EVE Blog Banter #7
- A Merry Life and a Short One, Syphilis Doesn't Count
- Rip Lacunae, Past & Future

Messages

So, back from vacation.

We went to a château just north of Clermont, but far away enough that it does not even feel like Auvergne V anymore. Beautiful! There was an old castle in the grounds a pond, vineyards and waterworks. We had the place all to ourselves for the graduation bash...

Anyhow, there is stuff even a capsuleer can't control. Like a certain someone throwing my neocom into the pond as they discovered me sneaking out a message. Bummer...

So upon our return to town, first thing besides getting a new one is checking the messages.

Message #1 - Dragonstar Corporation HR Department: "Welcome to the Dragonstar Corporation, Catherine Delorois. Your application has been accepted and we look forward to working with you upon your return next week."

Goodie, my first corp. This is going to be fun.

Message #2 - Kayleigh Jamieson: "Hi, Quin! Are you at the beach? Is it sunny? Or did you go for the countryside, the mountains.. snow? Hope you're having fun! Hugs, Kay."

Awww, thanks. Wish you were there!

Message #3 - Kanunu: "Hi Quin, I am wondering if you have any way of contacting Kay planetside? Enjoy your vacation."

Kanunu? Wow, it has been a long time since I had heard from him... season 5 of racing or so? He is a director now in DS. I wonder what it could be...

Message #4 - KillJoy Tseng: "ISRC staff got planetside issues, we are finding temps to lay the track and host the race. Don't worry, everything is under control."

Now that, that was not funny. I hate when people say stuff is under control, 'cause it means it's not.

Message #5 - CrazyKinux "Hello everyone. Still we've got time to squeeze a Banter before this month of Fools ends."

Oh, the Blog Banter, it had to be while I was away. I guess I could write something up a bit late, it should still be fun. Next message, please.

Message #6 - KillJoy Tseng "We are postponing race #5 and exhibition #3 unless we find a replacement. Take care, enjoy."

I really hoped they would find a way to run the race, even without me, or we would end up looking a bit silly as an organization. Well, everyone can have an emergency, guess I will have to do some PR.

Message #7 - Kanunu "Quin, did you find Kay? Don't freak out but the corp is under a surprise takeover; the main shareholder is forcing a vote on a new CEO in today and DS employees are threatening to leave en masse. Tell her not to worry anyway, everything is under control."

Ow, crap. My first corp? You have to be kidding me. This has to be... is this some kind of new speed record? 'cause that's like the only good thing I can think about it right now.

I better pick up the comms. I am almost afraid of catching up...

But before, I seriously need to kiss someone for having thrown the stupid neocom into the lake.

-Q