And let lose the dogs war....

In less than two weeks the whole of New Eden will be at war. The Retribution expansion is marking the 18th  free expansion of EVE Online and will prove to be on to the biggest in the history of the universe. While new ships are hitting the scene with the new destroyers, to me what makes this expansion so large is the "Tiericide" that is about to happen for T1 frigates and cruisers. This large ship re-balancing is going to be huge in the game and is going to open the door for more ships and mods.  The tier system that was in place really limited CCP from introducing new ships, because they had to follow a system that didn't make a lot sense, overpowered ships in the same class and made the Tier 1 ships less useful. Hopeful this expansion can change that given all ships a place in New Eden. 

New Class System of Ships

I will let you all read that Delvblog it is linked blow. What I want to talk about is the future of war in New Eden with the "Tiericide".  Currently we are seeing introduction of logistic support frigates and a revamp of the logistic support cruisers, now imagine a logistics battleship. While they would be slower yes with crazy tanks this could be great support for dreadnought fleets and carrier fleets who right now have to use the T2 logistics ships.  The E-WAR and disruption frigates and cruisers are also seeing a huge revamp, and with no battle-cruiser or battleships in this group except the Caldari Scorpion, the class is primed for a new ships.  These ships could change the tides of war very quickly, Bro-Fist and Alpha-Fleets would have to be retooled fast as Tracking disruption Battleships hit the grid making this turrets unless at long ranges. Or Fleets of heavy tanked energy neutralizing battleships and battle-cruisers sucked the cap out everything on grid. The possibilities of  these fleets would be endless. 

"Tiericide" also could bring in a new age of the Tech 3 Ships. Currently there is only one class of Tech 3 ship the  Strategic Cruiser. These ships have rapidly changed the face of PVP in New Eden in Low Sec and Null, New Tech 3 ship classes of Strategic Destroyers and Strategic Battleships could also change the landscape as fast. Tech 3 Destroyers that could be modded and tooled for all the roles that are shown above could allow a feeling of escalation in High-Sec or a fleets of high DPS ships with fast locking time that warp cloak. Even more interesting would be the introduction of the Tech 3 Battleships that could fit Siege Modules or Triage Modules, Battleships drone boats that could deploy 5 fighter drones, these ships would become instant favorites in High-Sec wars and too Low-Sec Pirates that want to remain mobile but carrier major DPS into battle. 

The new ships that I talked are not set in stone, but as I said could come into play in the future. Please read the new delvblog for all the details, the future of EVE is getting brighter with the fires of war.

http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=73572

Fly Safe #11

When logging of in space without aggression your ship will stay in space for 1 minute 1,000,000km  from where logged from.  If you have log out while you have connection you ship will remain in space for 15 minutes.

The Stone-Burner Fleet

 I have been working on the Stone-Burner Fleet for sometime now. Stone-Burner is a proposed fleet doctrine that I believe would be very successful in small gang the PVP. The core ship that Stone-Burner is the Caldari Falcon. This Tech 2 cruiser with its fast locking speed and ECM can allow a two man gang engage a three to four man gang. The second ship that is needed is the fast heavy hitting Gallente Talos. This ship fitted with shields and Large Neutron Blaster Cannons can deal 750 dps with long range Null ammo. Its fast speed also makes it hard to other ships of it ship class to catch. The last ship in Stone-Burner is a hero Minmatar Scimitar. This is a nibble shield logistic ships that is able to operate with out a partner plus with its 150% to tracking links it also for the Talos to track smaller and faster ships at greater range.

Caldari Falcon ECM Boat

The real key to Stone-Burner is that you overwhelm your targets with E-WAR. If they are able to jam out and prevent your targets from dealing damage, ECM, or heals then you are in the clear to win. So the most important ship is the Falcon. Stone-Burner came out of the fact that in my small corp we rarely had the logistic ships for small gangs but we had a lot Falcon pilots. While E-WAR does not replace logistics, it is a force multiplier in battle. 

Minmatar Scimitar

When I say overwhelm I am not taking it lightly. Stone-Burner should have a 3-2 ratio of DPS to EWAR. Three Talos blaster boats and two Falcons then increase the number of EWAR boats with each increase of DPS ships. The fleet should easily be able to engage fleets of similar size to 2-3 ships larger. The major advantage of this type of fleet it that so much E-WAR is on the field that the targets lose 50-80% of their damage in a battle. The second is the fast rapid damage of the Talos is able to quickly destroy their ships before they are able to get a foot hold in the battle. 

      

           Gallente Talos                                                       Neutron Blaster Cannon

Stone-Burner is no cookie cutter fleet. It needs to be practiced and pilots have to know what the roles of the other pilots are. I would recommend that several training sessions on the TEST Server before running. The Falcon pilots have to know who the other is jamming out to prevent them from jamming out the same target and cause a waste. The fleet also has to be aware of distance of targets. There is little time for an FC to micro-manage this fleet.  But if ran correctly this fleet can be devastating to an enemy. 

Fly Safe #10

After  a hostile action you must wait one minute before you can dock at a station or use a jump gate. 

Fly Safe #9

Make sure that combat and scanner probes are active on your overview. 

Not always as planed....

Sometimes the best plans are the one thrown together at the last second...most of the time they are not. The plan that my wing-man and I came up with was to bait a former corp mate into a fight and kill him. What we got in was hard battle, but much more rewarding.  After watching the EVE Solo PVP video I decided that I would set up a couple of Myrmidons and try them out in Faction Warfare. I am going in excepting that I am going to be 2v1 or 3v1 most of the time. My wing-man Estella Osoka just happens to be on with me at the same time. Like I side we wanted to kill a different guy and were preparing for that fight when like many thing in EVE a good thing falls in you lap. 

                                 

                                                    Gallente Myrmidon Battle Cruiser

I am running a standard Triple-Rep Myrmidon like the one from the video. It is a solid ship and as long as you keep cap in your cap boosters, your repairing power is 1500 damage every 7 seconds. I am running special plus 3% implants to Armor repair that increase my repair amount, speed, and how much cap I use. Since I'm in Faction Warfare they come by cheap to me. 

The Stabber Fleet Issue is a formidable ship, solo and in gang. It has a lose signature radius and some good DPS. I have known SFI pilots to engage crazy things, but most do not engage a Myrmidon cause of it huge repair power and its large drone bay. But there is a second ship that does engage me that surprises me to say the least. That is the Caldari Tech 3 Tengu. This ships is as fast and nibble as they come and with great DPS and tank is not a ship that I would want to engage solo or with out a good fleet supporting me. 

            

   Stabber Fleet Issue  

      

Caldari Tengu

The battle starts before I even notice, the Tengu pilot, Shaun R, followed me from a station to gate. I was in Highsec and didn't notice because even in Faction Warfare most of the fighting takes place in Lowsec. I hit the gate and jump he follows and quickly decloaks so that he may target and point me. I see the Tengu and think that he is follow me to low then engage so I'll simply burn back to the gate and make my get way. I decloak and burn to gate but the speed of the Tengu is great and he gets a bump on me pushing me 15k off the gate engages me. Now I can keep trying to get to gate or I can engage him, I figure I'll let my tank work and keep going to gate, but it is no use. So I pop drones and re-engage him. I am using the Valkyrie II medium combat drone, cause I believe that this Tengu is going to try and pull range to get out range of my heavy blaster cannons, and the Valkyrie drone is fast enough to keep up with the Tengu.  But he stays in close where I am able to get a warp scram and stasis web on him, so I am about to switch to Hammerhead II medium combat drones, the highest DPS for that class, when the Stabber Fleet Issue, flown by Avako,  hits grid. Now I have two worries, while I was tanking the Tengu using two armor repair units, the Stabber has good DPS but a poor tank. I decided that I'll try to get at least one kill and not come out empty handed. I move my point, web, and DPS to the SFI.  He is fast but with the web and scram he is unable to pull range and I'm able to burn him down. All the while I am taking massive hits and have to overheat all three repair units and use nearly all my cap boosters. With the SFI out of the way I redirect to the Tengu that still around. 

Estella has since come in the fray, because with the SFI gone, the Tengu is of little threat using blasters. She is able to establish a point, and we begin the work of taking down its massive tank. Also to join us is a fellow Gallente Militia pilot, Jockz, in Vagabond, a Heavy Assault Cruiser, that lays out massive damage. With webs and scrams on it the Tengu is unable to move and we finally break its shield tank and eats it armor and DPS. 

In the end of the fight I had burnt out one armor repairer and the other two suffered major damage in the terms of 50% and 70%. I had no cap boosters left, and nearly lost my guns trying to break the Tengu's tank. The SFI kill would have been close to paying for my Myrmidon if i would have lost it, but the Tengu kill paid out greatly. This battle taught me a couple things first the Myrmidon is tough tough ship with great survivability. Second is in EVE sometimes when things don't go as plan, they work out so much better.  

Stabber Fleet Issue - 72,000,000 ISK

Caldari Tengu - 825,000,000 ISK

When a Plan goes wrong...

The plan was simple and to the point. I was going to re-engage a Caldari pilot Super Chair. I have engaged him twice in a Minor Outpost once in his Navy Hookbill and once in a Worm (another faction ship). The first two engagements were close fight but with him warping away his Worm in structure the second with me breaking the engagement to refit with a different type of ammo. I give props to him on both engagements his is a good pilot. Lucky as hell but a good pilot.

             
Caldari Hookbill                                                            Gurista Worm

Now like I said I give credit where it is due and nothing against Super Chair but 2v1 when you out class your target should win.  So here it is, Super Chair gets out of the site and I have reloaded to new long range ammo. I warp back into the site, set on the warp in, and wait for the Navy Hookill to come back in. I have killed Hookbills with this fit before I just have to be in good position to grab him. I know that this will not be an easy fight and I am aware of the other War Targets in the system. But as of now they have been in Cruisers hull and unable to get into the minor site, so I am expecting a hard fought 1v1.

Super Chair does what I want him to do and re-enters the site, and the fight begins. My shields are quickly lost but that is to be expected as the Incursus is an armor tanking ship. The change in the fight this time compared to the last is my blaster are hitting him with more damage and my Warrior II is out pacing his rockets.  I feel that this is going to be a good fight up to the end.  That is when the second squid, Sean Parisi, hits grid in a Coercer class destroyer. Destroyers are frigate killers by nature with 8 small guns, they are meant to track a hostile frigate and rip it up. With an Incursus I am not shy about engaging a destroyer do to its huge armor repair bonus, but the high DPS of the Navy Hookbill and Coercer are a little much. I still manage to tank them for some time, but in the middle of cap Booster reload, my two small reps were over come.
                                      
                                                            Amarr Coercer


The kill mail is linked below. I would really like to engage either of them solo in the future.
http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15188683

Fly Safe #8

In Faction Warfare know the sites and what you are allowed in each. Minor Outpost => t1 frigates and destroyers. Outpost => All Frigate hulls, Destroyers and t1 Cruisers/ Majors Outpost => All sub-cap ships. 

EVE-SOLO PVP

I wish could credit for this video...but I can't. This is one of the best solo-pvp videos I have seen.



What I like most about the video how he explains what he is doing and why he is doing it. Solo-PvP is an art form above all things and he is a good artist.

The Gallente Brawler

I have only been flying it for a few weeks but I have to say that I have become a fan of the Gallente Brawler, the Incursus. While it doesn't have the huge DPS of the Tristan, (formally my favourite ship) it insteads boast a huge tank and power grid compared to other hulls its size.

Since I started flying it I will say that I am not scared of engaging some ships that a class above me and none that share the same class. There are a few different ways for fitting it out but I am enjoying the duel local rep and triple neutron blasters. I want to play with other Gallente Frigates while I am engaged in faction warfare, but it hard to pull away from the tank of the Incursus.  

The only major limitations on the ships is the weapon system. Since it is a brawler you have to be willing to get right into the face of those you are shooting. If they are kite fit then then the Afterburner will not be enough for you chance down targets and or pull range, but the advantage is not in fighting other Frigates but in fighting Cruisers and Destroyers as you are able to out track most of their guns if you are in close and the afterburner doesn't blow up you sig. radius making you a bigger target. 

My fit is very basic and as far as I'm concerned standard. 

High Slots

Light Neutron Blaster---Null

Light Neutron Blaster---Null

Light Neutron Blaster---Null

Mid Slots

Small Cap Booster---200 Large Navy Booster

1MN Afterburner II

Warp Scrambler II

Low Slots

Small Armor Rep II

Small Armor Rep II

Adaptive Nano Membrane

Damage Control Unit II

Rigs

Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I

Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I

Small Anti-Explosive Pump I

Drone-

Hobgoblin II

Fly Safe # 7

Never warp gate to gate in Null Sec. Use bounce points and spring points. 

Two Squids Enter...No Squids leave

I have joined the Gallente Militia this past week. I have decided that I wanted a change of pace in New Eden. In a short time it has already lead to some fun times. My first time out I began to run Faction Warfare missions, but after running 7 of them I found that it was not the best and quickest way to make loyalty points and gain faction standing. So I began to run the faction complexes. They turned into some great LP shortly, but that is only a little part of what I was after. What I really wanted was the PVP and I got it tonight.

I was in my complex holding it for the timer when two Caldari (Squids) jump into the system. The both were in the fabled Caldari Drake BattleCruiser. A tough nut to crack by all means.  With 10 secs left they managed to get into the site and try to get me I  held the complex then warped out just in time. this left them to my joy displeased. I think was able to warp a second sight that restricted the size of ship they were allowed to bring in to a frigate class ship.

Wanting a kill they reshipped and came at me. the cam in the Navy Issue Hookbill which is fitted correctly is a nasty little frigate, and I should be on my guard in my Incursus class attack frigate. But when it comes to frigates I like to push the limits with them. I caught the first D-Scan and decided that it was worth the risk. A 5mil isk ship vs a 19 mil i'll talk my chances that my skills are better and I know what I'm doing.

So the first one came in, he came at me and I burnt away from him until the NPC rat in the pocket engaged him. Then I turned boosted back to him and began my attack. I have max skills points in both blasters and t1 Gallente Frigates, I also am using a Null ammo that gives a bonus to range and with the Incursus natural High tracking it makes for a deadly frig. I quickly tear the first Hookbill down without having to even turn on my second Small Armor repper. Then the second Hookbill comes in, because I burnt away from the first that the beginning of the first battle this second Hookbill has to travel 137 km to get me. This gives me time burst repp my seconded repper and burst my Cap Booster to charge on my energy supply.  I then turn on my afterburner two and make a direct line to him. Like the first I make quick work of this Squid and soon he is in his pod warping to the sun.

http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15127853
http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15127852

Looking at their fits I was not impressed and I felt quite sad that their ships even came out of the hanger.  In then got me wondering, if I was in my T2 frigate could I have killed their Drakes. The record stands Phox Jorkarzul 4 Squids 1.

I hope to get video up so that I can record some one these fights.

For the Federation

When I was a young man, I transformed my life took to being a capsuleer. While the first months were hard as I grow in experience I began to find my niche and livelihood in the Universe. I spent the first months flying freelance to other Systems aways from my home in Arnon. But I always keep it close in my heart and thoughts. My travel took me all over the known empires and then into the grim of low security space, and finally into the black void of the unknown null sec.

All the while I keep hearing the stories of the Caldari Gallente War, of  Tibus Heth and his radical ways. I knew that I could no longer hide from it. I was giving a gift of immortality I was a capsuleer and I would let the Cadari feel my wrath. While Heth thinks that he is doing what is best for them,  he is destroying the freedoms that the Gallente have fought for, for years.

So I came back to Placid and joined the Gallente Militia. I fitted up my  Incursus and took the stars. I sought out the Caldari scum that had infected our space, and took our lives. For my family I fight, for my race I fight, for my freedom I fight and for the Federation I fight. I am a Federal Soldier above all things, and to the Squids that think they can take our freedoms, then you have to take while blasters shoot holes in you ship.

Fighting the EVE Stall

Being the CEO of a New Eden corp sometimes is a hard thing to do. Unlike other games you have to decide what is best not only for you but for the 5-500 other people in your corp. You have to keep your active and in touch and make sure that everyone is fighting the EVE Stall.

The eve stale is what it sounds like. It when the game begins to get boring to the player. Everyone in EVE has to fight the EVE stall at some point.  Here are some tips to help you fight it.

1) Start over. Not your toon but game play if all you ever have done in EVE is mission run then try your had at exploration or pvp. But give you self something new in the game.

2) Remake your corp image. If all you have ever done as a cor is small gang PVP then move on to something else. Sov warfare or High Sec Wardecing, or even industry. The idea is to keep active.

3) Take a break. Once you feel the stall coming take a break and just train skills. I know that doesn't sound like fight the stall but it does. It help you get your head on strait about what you want to be doing in EVE.

4) Role play the game a bit. EVE Online does not lend itself greatly to RP. But it can be done. Join a faction warfare and decide that you hate one group of players on EVE. If there anything that I have learned in EVE its that hate is the driving force for many players.

The biggest thing is just keep skill training and playing off and one. I fly into many pilots that let skill ques lapse and they missed out SP for 6 or 18 months before they came back. They regret all the time. They think how much better they could have been. Do not let that happen you, take a break but keep your skills training. remember not-one ever really leaves EVE.

The Development of Small Gang Doctrine

In the beginning of EVE there was only Chaos and those that were brave went out and began to PvP and forced order on it.  As PvP became larger and more organized Fleet Doctrines began to come into place. These Doctrine Fleets at first were used only larger fleets, but as small gang PvP became more popular these fleets started to see that they needed fleet doctrines as well. The major developers of small gang doctrines weren't in LowSec or Null where small gangs were still using Kitchen Sink Fleets, but High Sec Merc Corps and Wardec Griefers.

These Alliances were dedicating themselves to combat that was very limited it what they could do. In Null and LowSec fleet battles have the chance of escalation due to cap ships, black op, and titian bridges. This is not possible in HighSec. So High wardecs required a fleet doctrine that could give them an advantage in limit space. Once one side formed a Fleet Doctrine then the countered doctrines were formed. As these Fleets began to show success more Small Gang PvP Corps took note. At first they would only mimic Highsec Fleets or even SovNull Fleets. But soon LowSec Pirates and NPC Null corps would create their own fleets and have their own flavors.

The need for organized fleets in EVE is greater than ever. This is driving the need for Small gang doctrines. Kitchen Sink Fleets are no longer cutting if for PvPers who want to not only want to blow up ships, but want to be extremely efficient at it. Another venue that a driving force in small gang fleet doctrines is the Alliance Tournament. While only major alliances get a real chance to play in it, smaller alliances take notes and use those tournament as base for their own doctrines and possible styles of play.

Small Gang PvP in EVE is the major factor developing new doctrines and fits. Capsuleers are always looking to turn more firepower, repping power, and tanking out of their ships.

Doctrine Fleet vs Kitchen Sink Fleet

In New Eden there are two types fleets types, Doctrine Fleets and what is known as the Kitchen Fleet Sink. Doctrine Fleets are those that have pilots fly certain ships with certain mods. These fleets can be very successful if done right. There have been many different fleet doctrines to pass through New Eden, Hellcat, Armor HAC, Tech 3 Blob, Brofist Alpha, and Drake Army. Many of the larger Alliances such as GoonSwarm, TEST, AAA, and Solar Fleet put these fleets to great use in Sov warfare. In smaller Alliances fleet doctrines are also becoming more and more popurual as PVP becomes more popular in EVE Online. using similar fleets as major alliance only sized down to fit their needs this smaller alliance are making small gang warfare more organized than it ever was before.

The Kitchen Sink Doctrine is not really a doctrine. It is a hodge podge of mixed ships from frigates to battlecruisers. Most of the time it is whatever the pilot wants to fly or feels the best at flying. While on the outside these fleets look like trash and easily counterable they can prove to tricky.  If the pilots have high skill points and have flow together a lot then they can understand what each other is about to. That said if they pilots are low skill point and not used to the style of play then the fleets usually ending horrible balls of fiery death. Kitchen Sink fleets are easily countered with just a simple addition to logi on the field or by a well doctrine fleet.

There are pros and cons of both Doctrine Fleets and Kitchen Sink. Doctrine fleet are usually well disciplined and well organized. Pilots know their roles and what they need to do. These fleets are also easier on the fleet's FCs as the FC understands the goal and role that the fleet as a whole is. Kitchen sinks have pros as well though not as many. First most of the time in a Kitchen sink the pilot is flying what ship that feel comfortable in leading to the be more bold than they would normally be. Kitchen Sink Fleets also allow pilots to join into fleets quickly.  Kitchen sinks are also unpredictable  the first time that they are encountered, so they have the advantage. That advantage is quickly lost the more those pilots take out a kitchen sink fleet.

In my opinion the only real disadvantage to doctrine fleets is the time it takes to train to it. While this doesn't seem like much, it is. Most pilots don't want to be told what kind of ships to fly and what skills to train. They like their independence. There many disadvantages of the kitchen sink fleet, starting with it requires more work and metagaming from the FC. It requires pilots to understand their ship more than in a Fleet Doctrine. Last in Kitchen Sink Fleets there is no clear roles of the ships because of this the Fleet Comms and then the Fleet usually break down as the roam or operation continues.

While there is a role of Kitchen Sink to fill, I have a hard time supporting them. Even basic Doctrine Fleets such as, Shield Battle Cruisers is better. Even at the small alliance and corp the level of competition is so high that very hard for alliances or corps to really on Kitchen Sink Fleets. And with the rebalancing of ships small gang pvp has become the ultimate testing grounds.  Many corps like my own are trying out new fleets and revamping old ideas that. Taking advantage of EWAR, DICs, and Gankboats. I'm a believer that as new Eden approaches new heights of PVP, it will not be large scale sov warfare that wins the day, but small gang pvp groups with new and exciting Doctrines fleets.