[OOC] Do-over

Lights check, ears check, eyebrows check, do-that-is-not-from-Lazytown...

Check.

With an aprés-pod look too.

There :)

[OOC] Face Time

I have been rather busy lately.

See, I saw Myrhial's post and then I had to look for myself. That pic over there is a first go at what I would look like in Sisi.

I liked the sculpting tool, although I felt that it is sort of limited in range. I mean, you can move the cheekbone a bit but not too much, the jaw a bit but not too much, there is no control over the shape of your head -which limits the kind of hair you should be legally allowed to sport- but you can control the shape of your temples tho, and the corner of your eyes (WTF? "wow, did you see the temples on that guy?"). Yay. I guess that this has been done this way to get a more realistic look and, anyway, they do achieve that in spades.

It would seem that cartoonish pics are no longer that easy to create, whereas the classic pic maker made it more challenging to create verosimile ones. Way to go!



Sorry, you gallies all look the same to me.


I wonder what will be the implication though, maybe we will transition from people that look all cartoonishly the same, to people that all look realistically the same? Then again, I have not played enough with this to build radically different faces within the same bloodline.

Maybe it is possible. We shall see.

Then again, maybe that's ethnicity at work, people looking alike. I remember that ethnicity did limit some of the choices you could make before, like no red-headed Amarrians, Brutor being generally more tanned and the Lonetrek facelift -that weird tight hairdo- only being only available to Civire and Sebiestor.

No such limits this time but again, test phase and we shall see. It would be cool if choices were ethnical (hair, eyes, tan) and some location-based (hairdo choice wherever you re-cast a character)



Fashion emergency


Regarding clothing you get the basics from what I guess are each race's designs of one piece of each top, pants, jacket and shoes. You can mix and match, and I happen to think Matari boots work surprisingly well with an Amarrian tunic :)

Designs are indeed gorgeous and very detailed; from a heavy-looking ornate tunic to a running tank-top. I can only imagine what the CCP wardrobe design department will be coming up with.. and I can't definitely not imagine all the many different ways that people will use them.

One thing though: no accessories yet, but these are promised for the future. I want backlaces!




Full freckles ahead!

You have many different face options, from hair to eyebrows to makeup and eye colour, no tattoos allowed. Sculpt sensitivity is weird, it takes some time to figure out what happens when you pull features in different directions with up/down/wide/narrow being an easy guess and smile/smooch/frown/sneeze being not so intuitive.




Eyebrows do not really work well on Gallentean faces yet and with my freakishly huge in-character ears, I guess I will be sticking with the bob for the time being.

Oh by the way? The round sliders are not that difficult to work, if you hate sliding it is possible to just click on any position and voilà, it slides by itself.


Express yourself!



After sculpting, I was surprised to find that you can make faces. I mean, you can smile or frown or squint, which is not the same as -and trickier than- pulling your mouth up or changing the size of your eyes from the previous phase. Range is again a bit conservative (see if you can tell wide-eyed smile from squinting smooch above and... yes, wide toothy smile was possible but I rather not). The pre-set poses look natural and are a much better starting point than the old ones.

What is cool is that the pic is alive as it is posing! Slight movements, eyes that wander here and there, light changes in expression... you get the idea. Which also means this is only the tip of the iceberg: come Incarna, I think you will find your avatar fidgeting, frowning or making faces you may not have intended and well beyond the control of the posing environment.

Which, I think, is a good thing.

And this is where the game is -'cause character creation is a game, did you not know?- in making a character that looks lifelike, real. Someone you could be talking to on the holo, or an ID card snapshot, or a realistic expression of happiness, anger, sadness, vengeance or whatever background history your character has. And it is still as challenging as it was before because, even if you get all these aids like the pre-sets and limits, the entire process from head to toe has now so much more complexity, that it still leaves you lots of room to come up with something unique, genuine and yours.




All things considered, I am quite impressed. It shows that there has been a lot of care and hard work done on Incarna, so I would like to send many thanks and kudos to CCP.

Also, thank you for allowing us to see this!

-Q



PS: I tried the Deteis and they look stunning already, just by pressing "continue" all the way. They sorely need to look uglier. Really. Lots. Nerf please!

PPS: I can see a meme calling. So, what do you look like in Sisi?

[OOC] The Return of the Quin

Wee, that was some downtime! Take that, CCP :P

Anyway, I think it has been like about a year since I stopped flying regularly, with a couple of fun exceptions. What have I been up to? I have been playing Real Life, baby, like an addict and let me tell you: I HAVE HAD IT.

So I sit down and look at that capsule... and there is so much stuff to do.

I want to fly again.

I want to do new stuff in space.

I would like to, for once, get that next racing season going. There were many interesting ideas, and so little time.

No, I do not think I will be racing again but that's OK.

I want to roleplay.

I think I am definitely going to keep blogging. Stories, fiction, race reports.



You have no idea how long I have been staring at this one post and would really have liked to have much more to say than "I'm back..." but, as they say, just do it and inspiration will come.

It's good to be back!

Hugs,

Q

[OOC] EVE Blog Banter #14: Now what?

Welcome to the fourteenth 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 CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

The first banter of 2010 comes to us from the EVE Blog Father, CrazyKinux himself, who asks the following: As we begin another year in New Eden, ask yourselves "What Now?" What will I attempt next? What haven't I done so far in EVE? Was it out fear, funds, or knowledge? Have I always wanted to start my own corporation, but have never dared doing so? Is there a fledging mercenary waiting to come out of its shell? Or maybe an Industrialist? What steps and objectives will I set myself to accomplish in order to reach my ultimate goal for this year? EVE is what you make of it. So, what is it going to be for you?

--

Such an interesting question, in so few words. What, now?

I guess that my plans for the year 112 are simple: I have just retired from racing in 111 so now I am able to care for the ISRC a bit more as an organiser. Hopefully we will make ISD headlines like we used to in the past but, to do this, I think I will need to find help with the stuff I cannot do by ourelves so we are a bit stuck there. Graphics, movies, etc.

Also, now that I am mostly finished with the social skills I have been dabbling with antisocial skills. You know, Advanced Weapons Upgrades, T2 guns, etc. Who knows? Maybe they will become useful sometime.

Speaking of that, there are some loose ends. I shot someone in space last year, another capsuleer. Maybe I have yet to find the right way to deal with it, other than thinking it was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't. I think I know someone who can help there.

Finally, I need to get my blog up to date with all the stuff and stories that have crossed my mind, especially the memoirs for past racing seasons. Every season is unique, for different reasons...


((OOC:

I cannot begin to explain how complicated things are right now in Real Life. Things keep falling into place, sometimes the key word being 'falling' and sometimes being 'into place'. Lately, there has been much more good than bad so it's worth it.

Anyway, I will go away for a month or so. Yah, those holes in my blog have been planned to get you guys used to my absence ;) When I come back you will probably not notice, but I will be four, five or six timezones away from here and maybe permanently. And over there, I do not really know things are going to be, how soon or how much time will I have to fly, play or write.

But again, what to make of all of this is my choice.

And I choose to go with the flow. My weird resolution for Real-Life 2010 will be to draw inspiration for in-character 112. That way, no matter how awful things are, I should always have something interesting to blog about.

Anyway, it looks like this is going to be a year for writing and roleplaying.

Now if only I had the time...
))

Names you learn as a child

Some time ago I was watching the video by DireLauthris, about Admiral Tovil-Toba and his defense of Caldari Prime. Wow, what an excellent video! Makes you proud to be a patriot, n'est-ce pas? All my Caldari friends were so full of themselves when it came out...

Anyway, it's because it is impressive! Go take a look, if you haven't yet...

I showed it to C. and he was very impressed. All the way until "to this day he is revered as a national hero and his name is one of the first things every Caldari child learns."

That's when I got an earful...

Anyhow, I was reminded about a story from RealLife(tm), of a XIX century war between the two Matari Tribes, shall we call them Chilestan and Peruvia. I already knew about it, but C, he went into excruciating detail.

It's story time!

--

Once upon a time there was a young naval officer, Captain Arturo of Chilestan, who was in charge of camping an enemy harbour. He had been left by his FC with strict instructions no to let anything through while the main fleet sailed away to some big battle. He had two wooden ships (T1 frigates, I kid you not!), badly fit and in worse shape, but that would suffice in a place where there was only civilian traffic to block.

Only there was not just civilian traffic.

The enemy was spotted by dawn. As usual, intelligence had sucked, they had crossed the main fleet in the dark and were fast approaching the port with two lean, mean hi-tech armour-plated ships. Captain Arturo was so screwed. Not able to call for reinforcements ('cause vent had not been invented yet), he roused his crew with a moving speech and they went to battle, intending to fight till the end. He was brave but he was also smart, fighting a gun battle inside the port against one of the iron ships -they were not his civilians being shot at port anyway- while his wingman took off distracting the other ship. When the enemy FC decided to ram his own ironclad into the wooden frigate, Captain Arturo did the unthinkable and took a small boarding party across. They all died as heroes. Shortly afterward, his ship broke in two and sank straight to the bottom.

The enemy had broken the camp.

But Captain Arturo became a rallying cry in Chilestan for the rest of the war, to this day he is revered as a national hero and his name is one of the first things every child learns.

Captain Arturo had not really meant to be a warrior; he was but a young lawyer who had left an even younger wife back home when he enlisted. He had not asked to be a hero. He just did what felt right.

--

Captain Miguel from Peruvia was a military genius, an officer and a gentleman. He had come back from a cushy retirement seat in Congress to fight the war, commanding the very same ship he had seen built to his specs fifteen years before by the Brutish, which he had then updated, refitted and rigged. As the FC, his mission was to harass and interdict the much bigger enemy fleet, a juggernaut that included wooden boats, ironclads, logistics, advanced ammo, some of the first battleships to ever exist and maybe the kitchen sink. His tools would not be brute force and firepower, but stealth, finesse and surprise.

Captain Miguel saw many successes breaking enemy camps, capturing transports, messing with enemy pets, bombing ports, sinking stuff. His small gang would appear from nowhere, strike and then vanish. At a certain battle, he rammed his ship into the enemy frigate once and again until it broke in two, sank straight to the bottom and, hear this, he then had all the survivors picked up from the water and carried to safety before x'ing back. And after the battle, he sat down to write a poignant note to the young widow of his adversary, which he sent the very same day with her dear husband's belongings and his deepest condolences.

A true gentleman if there ever was one.

Silly politicians back home wanted to promote him to Grand Admiral of All the Fleet, a honor he protested would not allow him to do what he did best, FC'ing from the front in their best command ship. So they compromised.

Rear Admiral Miguel met his fate at a fleet battle in high seas. As usual, politicians had sucked, ordering more raids and ignoring his calls for refit. Following orders and against his very own judgement, he would thus fall to an enemy BS gang rigged for gank, speed and devoted solely to hunting him down. He died in the gun battle and his legendary ship was captured. Losing the war had become a certainty.

But Admiral Miguel became a rallying cry in Peruvia for the rest of the war, to this day he is revered as a national hero and his name is one of the first things every child learns.

Admiral Miguel was a warrior, a genius and a gentleman. He left three loving widows: his wife, his ship and his country. He was probably always destined to be a hero, whether he asked or not.

--


You can't make these things up.

Both stories happened at the same time, over a hundred years ago. Every nation has a national hero but what is remarkable is that in this case is that two Heroes that fought in the same war and fought each other, ultimately became their own countries' greatest. Both died on the very same deck.

To date, people from Chilestan and Peruvia learn these names as the Hero and his Enemy, and vice-versa. To date, after more than a century, they are still taught to hate each other's guts. As children, no one is told about the flip side of the coin; as grownups, only a few wonder if there is a flip side at all.

Tools.

And there is a reason They teach you that stuff as a child in Real Life, so you don't question Them.

That keeps you a good patriot and a good tool.

The ugly face of patriotism, captured with such a simple phrase in Admiral Tovil-Toba's two-hundred year old story.

"To this day he is revered as a national hero and his name is one of the first things every Caldari child learns."

((Don't you just love it when they bring worlds to life, warts and all? ;) ))

Patch the patch

See patch download.

See patch fail. Why do I even bother anymore?

See Quin download the installer.

See installer crawl.

See install fail. Rinse, repeat.

See some creative use of digital camera memory sticks -I am such a junkie. Maybe I should upgrade some of my stuff.

See? We are finally good to go.


Wait... what do you mean there is another patch tomorrow?

[OOC] Witness Relocation

The last couple of months have been an unbelievably harsh time in Real Life and I have had to take a step away from so many things. For me in EVE this has meant no flying, no blogging, no bantering, chatting just barely enough, while the world goes upside-down. Accepting, adapting to Real Life changes and... arranging for things to happen.

Relocation stress.

Maybe this is how it must feel like being a mafia wife. You keep away from the family business... but when it is time to go, you definitely notice. Everything changes around you.

And you just jump, hoping to land on your feet.

-Q

Sand in my pod

Don't ask me how it got there. In my hair, on my feet... my podsuit? I swear, I have no clue.

You don't just take your flip-flops off and dive into a pod, there are steps to follow, showers, chemicals, checks, plugs... people to make sure everything is allright before you go. And I could swear everything was.

Yet there is sand in my pod.

They found it during pre-flight and now they will not let me go like this. So I wait. It is going to take some time to fix, maybe a couple of hours. Just enough time to pause and think. Oh, I do not know how the sand got there but I think I know where it comes from...

I blame it on the sunshine :)

It is good to be back...

Racing Cookie

June 111, ISRC Season 7, Race 6
Black Rise, After-race party



That's a racing spec cookie.

• Triple-chocolate cookie (choco cookie, choco chips, white choco chips)
• The size of my open hand
• Yummy

I always buy one on the morning of a race day, at a café close to home. It becomes that day's lucky cookie until after the race, when it becomes... history.

Not that it has been helping much lately, Takashi seems to beat us, cookie or no cookie.

Maybe it needs more chocolate...

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

Vacation

Hello, this is Catherine. I am currently away on vacation and plan
to be back in about a week, or not at all. Please drop a message or at
least say hi, I just hate it when I get a blank holo.

See you all later!

Au revoir l'Université

April 111, Sinq Laison
University of Caille, Campus Bourynes

Text shimmers in front of me.

I have read it and know what it means. Actually, I have been expecting it. But it's still hard to believe.

No way. Finally?

The words are simple.

Gallente Business - Entrepeneur Elite
Issued via: University of Caille

This certificate is the final step of the Caille University graduate program for Entrepreneur specialists. It certifies that the holder of the certificate...

The real meaning is not that simple. It means it is time to say goodbye.

--

Have you guys gotten this feeling that you follow a pre-established path? No, no, don't get me wrong, this is not Fate, she acts in ways so much subtler. This is standing in the forest, looking around you and seeing a worn path on the ground. It may be the twigs, the grass or a hole in the thicket. Someone has been here before. That's the way to go.

And what do you do? You follow the path.

Not because they force you to. Not because it's your greater destiny. Not even because of a reason. Just... because. Because you are lazy, because it's the easiest thing to do, because it's the next absentminded step after what you were doing before. Keep still when you were still or keep moving in the direction you were. It's not Fate but that lazy slob, Inertia.

That's the feeling.

So what if I have followed the worn path all my life. Go to school. Make friends at school. Move with family, make friends elsewhere. School is over, what's next? University. Stay put for the Master's Degree. Oh, excuse me if I yawn for a bit.

I was admitted into the University of Caille some six years ago, it has been two and a half since I became a capsuleer. I started, all bright eyed and excited about spaceflight. I remember wanting to move stuff from here to there and make a killing on the market. See, I have a life down planetside and the market fits nicely with... living.

I learned very quickly that pure social and market would not be enough, so I learned to make a killing in different ways -one needs to know how to look after oneself, you know. Then I went into the fast courier business -I am just so good at the running away part of fighting,- and learned how to go faster and faster. Then I found racing and eventually, I learned to fit and invent and build my own stuff. Then T2. You know the rest of the story.

That is how I followed the path.

As it turns out, I fell right in the middle of some of the best people you can meet in space; some of them my team, some of them adversaries, all of them my friends. I have learned from them, I am a better person because of them, and I hope they feel the same. I have learned little things: a smile goes a long way; always say hello and always say goodbye; it's about the people, not the spaceships.

All these things I have learned while walking down the path. I have made small decisions in the meantime, and enjoyed some stunning views while looking that way or the other.

In the end, what I am saying is... I am grateful for the path.

So here I stand, in the middle of the forest, with most decisions having been made for me long before I took the easy way forward. And you know what? Now that I have arrived, I look around and find that there is no path ahead, no path around. From now on, there are only choices.

It feels good.

So thank you, Dean Arele and CEO Hatiniestan, for giving us safe paths to walk along. Thanks everyone here, for helping us along the way. We have reached this point where, although we will never stop learning, we will make choices that are fully ours.

To those graduating today, I say goodbye, et bonne chance. From now on, you choose how to make a path ahead of you. You have reached the end of this one path, who knows which one you will open ahead of you?

And to those of you staying in UC, I can only say... fly safe, nuggets, until we meet again.

Graduation Ceremony
Elite Entrepeneur Programme
University of Caille, April 111

--



Click.

Path no more.

The Wiki Witch of the West

So I took a closer look at EVE's amazing wiki (heya, Mynxee)... and it rocks!

Anyway, I found the EVE wiki and I may have been writing one or two things. Go check it out.

But I must warn you beforehand. Those who know I play RL may know that my, ah, RL character sometimes writes stuff... dry stuff, sometimes so very dry that your lips will chap and your skin will peel, and that's halfway through the first paragraph. If you are still awake.

So before you read any, go drink something and put some chapstick on. Bring a pillow, just in case.

You have been warned.

-Q


(Credit and thanks go to Gyra Rho for ISGC rules PDF, which I totally cut and pasted into the wiki, now it is the base for what we do in the future.)

Acropypha... Aphocry... Apoc... Patch Day

'Nuff said.

By the way, you can go get your very own fix of news events right here!

Mapmaker, Mapmaker, make me a Map...

Mapmaker, Mapmaker,
Make me a map,
Find me a find,
catch me in Catch.
Mapmaker, Mapmaker,
Look through your book,
And make me a perfect map.

---

"Bad news Quin, Ombey is quitting."

"Om-who?"

"Ombey, the guy who makes maps."

It took a couple of seconds to register.

.

.

Damit, map guy is going away?!

Oh... whatever it is, good luck Ombey.

Maybe he does not know how important he is to everyone. Nah, I do not think so, he has been doing this forever and he must know already how very appreciated his stuff is. It must be something else. Something bigger. Important. Something for himself? That is a good thing then...

In any case, even if you already know or imagine, please let me say out loud how important Ombey has been to us in the racing scene because of his mapwork:

• The maps help ISRC lay down the track for each and every race. It is easy to see where each waypoint should go, where the chokepoints are and how to get from here to there.


• My racing team studies the region map every week before a race, they get used to the region and names. Spare racers and clones and bookmarks are set up thanks to these. I figure that other teams do the same -and if they don't, they should.


• We have the fit crew on comms during the race, with the maps. They are especially helpful during blackouts like, undocking, and on occasion for detours when racing tricky regions (like that stupid Jita race).


• And after using the maps for one thing, you can't really go back and do the rest without. Many of us now use the maps for everyday life, to find cool trading spots, to go exploring on a sensible path, to find the best path through dark places. there is no going back!

So we use those maps. A lot.

I can only imagine how much effort went on these; but what is even harder to imagine is how many people you have reached and use your work on a daily basis for whatever different purposes.

So I think this is a better place because of your stuff.

I guess what I am trying to say is... Thank You!

You, sir, have made a difference. Thank you and good luck Mapmaker.

Hugs,

-Q

((OOC, I can only say one thing: take care Ombey, and enjoy. We will all miss you. Two things, actually: don't biomass you character. Oh, three, you are not an 'Om-who' to any of us :P))

All your base are belong to no one

By now, everyone has heard the news.

BOB, the meanest alliance in the cluster, has been dealt a mortal blow by Goonswarm, the biggest alliance in known space. No, not mortal. Huge, but not mortal.

Thousands of pilots are involved. Corporate theft, espionage, sabotage, backstabbing, all-out fighting. Evacuations to safety, defections, brave last stands, a desperate rush in defence of an empire just fallen. Barbarians at the gates. A chance of rebirth. Enemies gathering to move in and conquer -will they spread too thin? Allies in panic. Scavengers move in like vultures to pick on remains that belong to no one. Things will be theirs... or maybe no one's. Scorched space.

It's war. What's going to happen?

It is up to them, the pilots. It's about the people, not the spaceships.

((The more I think of it, the more it looks like a player-driven game expansion.))

Go with the flow.

Change.

Now, go play ;)

One month blogging

So I am still here, one month after starting to blog.

So far, loads of fun, and many interesting people around. This being my first blog also, so I have been learning stuff. I have found that my original fears of not having anything to write about were unfounded... if anything, I think I am posting a bit too much, a bit too fast. I need to slow down.

Then again... slow down?

I am happy I have eight followers already, it is cool to see people finding this little blog of mine interesting enough to look at. Can you guys make anything out of my babbling? I promise to get the caffeine squirrel thing under control.

I am making friends in the blogo-sphere. We chat here and there, exchange blog comments, and I get to stick my foot in my mouth once in a while. Sorry about that.

It's also a good thing that I am setting my ideas in order. See, I usually have several movies playing in my mind at the same time, some of them in EVE, and have never had a good outlet to set them free. Lagged in Odotte was a favorite idea I never wrote until now (based on a real life drama), as are the Ken Clone stories (what happens when a clone goes wrong? These will be especially fun to those who know Ken -for those who don't, Ken was actually biomassed- and actually I discussed the idea with him some time ago. Keep watching, part 4 brings the goodies). I am a sucker for clones.

Some of the stuff I am posting is older and originally posted elsewhere (Wildcards, Shipswitch). I will eventually run out of these but I think these belong here as well, to explain background, and just in case some forums go down.

Hmmm, I think I am posting too much fiction, and it's all over the place. I need to do something about that. More 'now,' less 'then' or 'what if.'

New month resolutions:

• Pace myself. Higher quality, lower volume.
• Save the best for later.
• Damit. I need to play, and roleplay more.
• No more caffeine for the squirrel.

Anyhow, I think I will stay, so any advice for improvement would be totally welcome, and rewarded with undying gratitude.

Cheers! -Q

January Blog Banter: Opportunity or Burden?

Ah, goodie, there is a Blog Banter this month. I do not really know how it works, do I need an invite? I will be inviting myself anyway, and out of character at that.

Firstly, hi Manasi, nice to meet you!

Manasi asks “How do we, EVE bloggers, adapt to changes as they are thrust upon us (speed changes, no more ghost training, all the dev blogs, etc), or as our lives make playing the game different (more time, less time)?”


Quoting from some of my favorite SF series (you get to guess which two), "you can see it as a burden, or as an opportunity." And it is not coincidence, it's fate: changes will always bring a new edge, that you can use -how? It will depend on what you do.

For me, a woman of market, racing and roleplay-lite, I choose to see change as a good thing.

It begins when the change is announced. It is always nice if it is announced, because then you can prepare. CCP will say:

Stuff is going to change, blah blah blah, the following modules are going to suck, and there shall be cool new internet spaceships to play around with.

This means I have to study. If some modules are going to suck, then which ones are going to rock? What are the new spaceships? Where will the blueprints sell? So, step #2 is to follow the news, read other people's blogs (Kirith Kodachi's for example) or to follow the advice of better informed friends (hi demon!). I even logged into Sisi once, because I wanted to know how speed changes would kill my polycardboard-rigged ships.

Then, have a plan, prepare for the change. Scheme, think new tactics, buy modules, stock up on the market (you do not need to be able to fly that battleship to buy it low before and sell it high after...). Go meet the Thukkers, 'cause they are going to have Nomad implants in a few months; get LP with the Sisters. Make new friends in the vicinity of the new regions you want to explore. Go take a snapshot at silly speeds before they slow down. Do your last gate ganks (hi Lucas!). Train skills up so you can drive an Orca, or overheat, or get stoned with the new boosters as soon as they are available.

When the big day comes, regardless of you planning or not, things will be messy but promising. You still have an edge and it will depend on how fast you adapt. Market PvP will be crazy for a few days, but there is lots of ISK there. People out in space will be learning for a few more days, you can spook them with the new scrambler super-powers. So if you are first to market, or first out the dock with the new stuff, you have that edge. Go use and abuse and enjoy it!

Finally, some of the best is the RP that comes with changes. OOC I had a blast reading the news when Empyrean Age was done, IC I was worried sick about my parents in Lumi while I was stranded with the Thukkers, of all people. It was up to CCP to bomb the planet they lived in, they didn't so they lived; I did not join FW, went peacenik instead and since then I have IC-tried to talk my friends out of the war. Lots of RP fun, to see the patriots not figure out what to make of your politics. Speed nerf was tricky, you can't really explain it well in IC.

I guess what I am trying to say, changes bring outside influences to your character. Use them, go with the flow and, if you are daring enough, let the world make decisions for you and then play with the consequences. Come to think about it, the same goes for the modules and ships - outside influences, go with the flow and play with the consequences.

So there, I choose to see change as an opportunity to plan, play and roleplay.

Curtsy, end of banter. Cheers!


Updated: forgot to mention RealLife(tm), but I guess the same applies. Best is when RL changes announce themselves so you can plan, play and roleplay. I once went on vacation to Lag-Lag Land; in the weeks before that we linked with another race team and started to covertly cooperate -imagine Ferrari and McLaren together- so by the time I was away and my season ruined, my team still did OK thanks to Kay. And then we went with the flow, eventually RPing a merger.

Now as for life-changing RealLife(tm) events, like the "Credit Crunch" expansion and RL consequences, I'm ready. I will let you know.

Curtsy, end of banter. Really ;)