Not Dead just away

To my readers I'm not dead.  I'm just away from the blog at the moment. Real life has bared its ugly head and is keeping me out of eve. I miss the blog, and promise that I will be back.

Hide me please: Counter Intelligence

I was reading EVENews24 and there was an interesting wall of text about intel gathering and how relatively easy in it to find people in a game this large. Using locator agents a hunter can go from having no idea where prey is to the system and station they are in. That got me thinking about game as a whole how players should be able to hide themselves in game.
So I want to propose a new skill, Counter Intelligence.  This skill would be a 3x social skill that was aimed disrupting the intelligence that can be gathered by a Locator Agent. For each level that you train in, it give better counterintelligence to your location in the cluster. This would give pilots a chance to "hide" from intel sources and require more eyes on targets.
So for example if you train this skill to Lvl 1, then when asked about your location it will be reported back that you are in a group of systems, The system you are in, plus two more connecting. At Lvl2  it increase it to five systems. Lvl 3 will allow you to hide in constellations, Lvl 4 will give you 2 connecting constellations issue a warning that you are being searched for and Lvl 5 will give you three constellations and tell you who requested the search for you.
Now this would be a very powerful skill, but I want to offer a counter to it as well. The higher your standing with the Agent you did the search will the more it counters the effects. So if you have basic standing with an Agent then the full effects apply, but if you have Standing of +5.5 then it counters Lvl 1 by showing two systems not three. If you had perfect standing with the agent then it would treat Counter Intelligence lvl 5 as lvl 1 and hide that you were looking for the target.
With the size of New Eden I feel that it should be possible to hide if you want to and require people to come out and look for you. I think that giving people this chance will increase make intelligence gathering more hands on and could even give a chance for the hunter to to become the prey.

There is no easy fix: But here is an idea.

I have been reading on the forums, themittani.com and EVENEWS24 over the last month about power projection and the stagnation of Null Sec. I have come to find that there is no easy fix for either of these two problems. I can get behind Manfred Sideous' ideas to fix Null (it is worth the read), and The Mattani has made a good case for the removal of supers.  All of that got me thinking. I have done my ideas of how to "fix" Nulll and Low before, but this is really not about fixing Null and Low. It is more about "Fixing" the game. On TM.C, The Mattani described supers as the new large arms race in EVE, and how that they prevent new blood from coming in and being able to compete in Null. It was interesting to me because about a week ago I was in my office having this same conversation with one of my former corp mates. The talk soon came around to how would you remove them from the game? How would you reimburse people? Unlike The Mittani though, I don't want them completely removed from the game. I just want the Blue Print Originals and Blue Print Copies to be removed. I also want to clarify that I think that Titans have a place in the game and would like them to stay, I am only talking about Super Carriers.

The Endangered Species:

My idea is that you turn Supers in an endangered Species. If they are a Mittani says EVE's form a Weapon of Mass Destruction then Lore it out and make them become relics. When people say death to all Supers, give this meme teeth. Make so that when every time one dies it stays dead, and there is no chance it is replaces unless at a great cost. 

Sure fights like B-R might not happen, but 6-DV still can, where Dreads, Carriers, and Battleships will all have their place back on the top Null Battles. I also think that by removing just the BPOs from the game, it will be less of a shock to those around. 

Eve needs to get back to a point where supers are a rare site to see. I don't think that the game has a real good place for them, except one, the Revenant. This would be the only Super that would still have it's BPO dropped in game. This would keep supers rare, and in the game. And it leave CCP that opinion of added other pirate "supers" that are rare to see and can bring some interesting new gameplay, like a Sepentis Super with 90% webs? For the Revenant it's self only thing I'd change is allow it to dock in Stations. 

Extinction Brings New Life:

As with Humans and Neanderthal, the death of one let the other rise. With the Extinction of Supers, I believe this is the chance that CCP can bring some much needed life into capital warfare. I purpose two new T2 Carriers and two  New T2 Dreadnoughts.  Since Titans are still in the Game and massive EHP structures are still in the game, I believe that you'll need to something to full the gap that Supers once had, but I think that it is better to fill with 8 new ships opposed. 

First the carriers I would like to see one carrier that was a capital EWAR ship and the second that could use Fighter Bombers although only a max of 6. My idea is there is a carrier that can be used to jam, damp, target paint, and disrupt the weapons on other capital ships including Titans, Dreads in Siege, Carriers in Triage and the Remaining Supers. It's EHP would only be about 15% more than a regular Carrier and it damage out put would be about 15% less. The Second Carrier would be a Bomber Carrier, this carrier wold lose the ability for triage for a Damage Bonus to Fighter Bombers and the ability to drop Warp Disputer Bubbles and Infinite Points. I am thinking that it only had about 10% more EHP, but is able to 20% more damage than current Carriers. 

The first new dread I'd like to see is on that is a Black Ops Dread. It would not be able to use siege and could only top out at around 4000-6000 DPS, but it would be immune to EWAR, except for EWAR Carriers, HICs, and Bubbles. This under idea that Covert Ops don't show up on system scans or on star map for CYNOS in system. I think that this Dread could be a way to jump in and Ninja Structures to create a new type of game play. Its tank would be 25% more of current Dreads base. The second Dread is more of support ship as well being able to use an AOE type weapon. It would also be able to use a Remote ECM Burst, giving two opinions of AOE, but it is only able to do so while in Siege committing it to the fight. Now this would have to be really worked out, but I think with Coalitions Blocs the game has evolved to a place that AOE weapons systems are needed. I don't want something that is so powerful that it clears all sub-caps off the field, but it needs to be be able to put pressure a logi trying to keep up with reps. This AOE comes at a cost though, while it has T2 resistances it have 15% less tank than T1 Dread. 

Over all I think that a guiding price line for these ships should be 7-10 billion ISK. After all we want them to be affordable and used often.

BPO and BPC reimbursement. 

Since we did not take supers out all we have to reimburse are the BPOs and the BPCs that people have to make the supers.  My idea is that each person who have a BPO  gets one 5 run copy of one of the new dreads and one 5 run copy of one the new Carries. If they have a Super BPC then they get a one run copy of each. Now this all dependent on what race you Super Blue Print is; if you have an AEON then you will a the a combo of the Amarr Dreadnought and Carrier.  I think that is a fair way to reimburse the people have them, and it allows them a chance to be on the front lines of a new industry in the game.

The Saber of the Federation: Close Quater Combat Fleet.

A Fleet To Rule Them All:

It has been a while since I have talked about a fleet comp ...

Real life has been getting in the way and as such it has taken me more than a month to write this blog about what is quickly becoming one of my favourite fleets, the C.Q.C. Shield Assault Frigate Fleet. The brain child of Gallente FC Guiyan has spawned a corp C.Q.B lead by the Perunga. In its most complex form this fleet is designed to transverse the warzone quickly using its speed and agility to out maneuver the larger more bulky cruiser fleet. In its simplest form it is a wall of DPS that is out to capture and destroy its prey both quickly and effectively. Whilst the Gallente Militias Ishtar Fleet is still the Federations great sword C.Q.C has becomes its saber, a swift blade of death.

CALLING All DEEPS:

The base of C.Q.C. is it DPS, like any fleet it is impossible to get the fleet off the ground without a good DPS base. Attempting to capitalize on the power of blasters, three Hulls were considered for the fleet. The first was the Federation Navy Comet, with a 7.5% per level damage bonus, 20% damage bonus and being one of the fastest ships in the game it was perfect for new Federation pilots to get into, and because LP was used to buy the ship it became a cheap platform of DPS, rocking 245 DPS and being able to move at over 3k with links it became the fleets heavy tackle. 

The second ship added to the DPS squad was the Shield Blaster Enyo, with its 10% damage bonus and its 10% optimal range bonus it is able to be used effectively in tight battles. It does not however have the tank of the Harpy or the speed of the Comet, but in terms of raw DPS it is the king of the frigate world, with a small sig, these ships are able to hit well above their weight and make up the bulk of the fleet. 

The final ship added to the DPS squad is the Harpy "long range" Blaster platform, with a tank that can get over 15,000 EHP these ships tend to be the last ships targeted in the fleet. But with two 10% optimal range bonus and 5% damage bonus the Harpy can pull off 250 DPS and acts as first damage. These three ships working together are deadly combination.

The Supporting Cast:

While the leads get the credit, it is the supporting cast that makes the show. It is no different in C.Q.C. Here the cast can be mixed and matched to make some incredible magic. First, in the Kitsune Electronic Attack Frigate while his bigger brothers the Blackbird, Falcon, and Rook sport a hardier tank the Kitsune is able is rocket around the battle field at over 3.4k with links. This makes it very hard to catch and because of this it usually acts as the first. The second muse in the fleet is the range control Hyena, this Minmattar Electronic Attack Frig is able to put long range webs out on any target out to 25k with links. This ablity makes it perfect in gate camps as well as inside plexes to maintain range on targets. The third is the Keres E.A.F, this Gallente boat hosts a couple different fittings that make it as useful and versatile as a Swiss Army Knife. The first fitting is the roaming long point and damps, where it uses its 7.5% bonus to Senor Dampener as an effective means to neutralize DPS or enemy logistics. The second is in gate camps where its 5 med slots make it perfect as a fleets insist and long range point.

Last are the interceptors that act as the FCs eyes and ears while on the move. Fast and nearly impossible to catch they spread out and seek targets for C.Q.B. to engage. Most the time they are the first wave of tackle in any roaming fleet.

Logi Bros, Best Bros

When C.Q.C. Fleets first rolled out of hangers it was not hard to decide what ship was going to command the logi role. While the new Logistic Frigs could do some great things, they were just not of what C.Q.C needed. So the new Logistic Cruiser the Minmatar Scythe was put into action. With its bonus to range and repair amount; it would become the work horse of C.Q.C. roaming fleets. It also became clear that it would be the only Cruiser that would be up to

the task of keeping up with the fast roaming fleet. While its size keeps C.Q.C out of small and novice plexes, the Cruiser has become a best friend to everyone that has flown in one of these fleets.

Lasting Impressions:

The Gallente Militia will always hold that armor cruiser gangs are its work horse. Whether it be with guns and laser (Mallers and Thoraxes) or Drones (VNI and Ishtars), armor cruisers will always be there to protect Federal Space. But I contend that in the last two years no fleet has had the lasting impact that the C.Q.C. has had. While alliances bicker over which cruiser gang is better, nearly every corp has a training program in place to get its members into a C.Q.C. Fleet Doctrine ship as fast as possible. It is a fleet that can act as a stand alone hunter killer, or as a support fleet for cruiser gangs and up. It carries with it raw DPS that is mostly unmatched by other Frigate hull gangs, and is able to punish medium size cruiser gangs and small battleship gangs. As time moves forward I believe that we will see this fleet to continue to evolve in an ever changing warzone. 

Where is the Low Sec Buff?

Many people living in Lowsec have been asking ‘what about our buff?’ I am not talking about a faction Warfare buff, although FacWar does take place in Lowsec it is different compared to other areas. Whilst it is possible to make decent money in Lowsec, it is only on a personal level. There needs to be a shift in how people look at Lowsec, not as a starting point to move to Null, but as a place for pilots, corporations and alliances to live permanently, Lowsec needs to be buffed for the sake of the game.
I am hoping that with DJ Funky Bacon on the CSM that Lowsec will eventually be buffed. The following is a liar of ideas I would love for him to take into consideration:

1. Fix faction warfare missions. It is BS that all other militias can run level four bombers but the Gal Mil cannot.
2. Increase payments for Lowsec missions. At the moment there is no real incentive to complete Lowsec missions as the risk far outweighs the reward.
3. Boost Lowsec PI and Industry. By giving Lowsec the sole right to build certain products it would give people incentive to build in Lowsec boosting industry and productivity in the area.
4. Increase the number of high end DED sites in Lowsec so that people can make ISK at the same rate that they can in Highsec.
5. I like the clone soldiers and Lowsec needs more things like that. Where Null has officer spawns Lowsec should have lieutenant spawns that drop high end faction moduals?

As I said this is a list of things I would like to see happen and would love for them to  be taken into consideration by the CSM’s.

DV-MS Recruitement Status: ONLINE

Deep Void Merc Syndicate recruitment is open and updated: We are no longer an RP Corp so we are moving away from that.
“For the Federation”

What are are looking for:
New Pilots to the game
Old Pilots looking for a new start
EWAR Pilots of all races
US, UK and Aus TZ pilots
Now Accepting Dust Mercs seeking O.S. Support. 


Requirements:
+0.0 Standing with Gallente Federation 
2.5 million skill points
TeamSpeak3 with a working microphone
Willing to lose ships

What we provide:

PvP Training
Lowsec Survival Training
Ship fitting help
PVP, Fleets and Killmails
FC Training
Ts3
Ship Replacement Program

Please use our Recruitment Site in an out of game broswer:
http://www.dv-ms.ga/
Please join our public channel “Deep Void Public”

Recruiters:
Phox Jorkazul
Makrov Putin
Estella Osoka
Elsek

What does your choice of race means about you? Caldari/Gallente

We have looked at Amarr/Minmatar. Now it is time to look to the galactic West, to Placid and Black Rise. In this post we will look at pilots from the Caldari State and the Gallente Federation. While the conflict between the Amarr and Minmatar is fairly black and white. Here in the West it tends to be very gray, and very ugly.  While I don't doubt that there is some hate in the Amarr/Minmatar war, the Caldari/Gallente war spreads true hatred among all that participate. While the Amarr/Minmatar war is a fight over a history of slavery; read "Good vs Evil," the Cal/Gallente war is a fight between conflicting ideologies; Democracy with all it's beauty and ugliness vs Hyper-Capitalist Oligarchism with its brutal efficiencies and straight up brutalities.

Caldari State:

The Caldari State consists of three classes. The super wealthy Mega Corporation CEO and board members, the Capsuleer middle class and the poor worker. In the State Militia the same can be seen. There are the CEOs, the FCs and the common pilots. Like the State itself, the poor workers and the common pilots are not truly concerned with who is telling them what to do, as long as that person keeps telling them. But it is the CEO and FC whose competition often results in violent Civil Wars.

As history has shown us the rapid growth of a middle class is often met with resistance from the upper class. Old money after all wants to remain in charge. This has lead the Mega Corporations of the State to impose more restrictions on Caldari Capsuleers, which has led to more of them trying to strike it rich outside the State Corporation's fold.

Inside the Militia this is seen when over-zealous leaders join the movement and try their hands at being both the CEO and the Fleet Commander. As time goes on they get bogged down with one job or another and have to focus on either CEO or FC, most the time they choose to focus on being a CEO.  This lets a new person from the rank and file to take their shot at being the FC. Over time they prove to be a good leader and start a cult following inside the corp, more people start to look to them for guidance in more things than just FCing fleets. Once their gravitas reaches a critical mass they say "well I can run this donkey-punch party better", and they end up splintering off the original corporation to create their own while taking active members with them. Then the cycle repeats. Often between each cycle is a clash of one sort or another, which can at one extreme lead to a Militia wife civil war. I think of the first corp I was in. This is how it played out: Our CEO tried to be CEO/FC, then gave the FC job to a friend, then the friend became "not" a friend and stole active members to form his own corp. The second time this happened I left. While some will say that this is normal, and it may very will be, what it creates in the State Militia is a dog fight at the top. All the FC's are also CEO's. They also are all very charismatic guys that have very alpha personalities that want people to follow them, and only them.

And while the average pilot doesn't care who is calling the shots, the CEO's and FC's do. The State Militia is infamous for having alliances unwilling to work with other alliances because of these divisions. Whenever a new up-and-coming CEO/FC starts bringing the whole State under their singular banner, inevitability they are thrown under the bus and a Civil War breaks out because the old guard sees the uppity FC as a hemorrhoid that needs to go back up where it belongs, i.e. In the [old guard's] asshole.

But where does this spawn a hatred for the Gallente? Why does the State hate them? In the world of New Eden the Caldari used to be the best economy of the four nations. But after the second Caldari/Gallente war, the Gallente began to fight the State economically rather than militarily, and over time they took advantage of the State's corruption and surpassed its economy. In the War Zone it is much the same way. When Faction Warfare first came to be, the leaders of the Caldari State Militia were its masters, they had the best fleets, the best FCs, and the best chance to make a profit; and furthermore the added advantage of the largest "Zerg." Nowadays they barely hold onto the Zerg. Much like the real State, the Militia Old Guard hate the Gallente Militia because they remember what it was like to be on top, and now are struggling for a piece.

It you are a State Pilot you are either the FC looking to shine or the grunt content with following orders. While the grunt life is boring, it lacks drama for the most part. While as an FC, if you set out to be a Hero, it is likely you'll watch yourself be turned into the villain by the Old Guard.  (see Khan Farshatok)

Gallente Federation:

We are the people New Eden loves to hate, or hates to love depending. Though it is said that they are descendant of Tau Ceti France, a more accurate picture would be 20th Century England and 21st Century America.  As a race the Gallente are strong willed, independent, and fierce defenders of their independence. You find all kinds in the Federations, because it accepts all kinds. From the religious to the hedonistic, you're likely to see it all in the Federation. But no matter where you stand politically, the major quality that is revered by all under the Federal banner is personally ability and freedom.  There is no better place to see this than in the Gallente Militia.

To understand why the Gallente forces what the are now, we have to look at what they were in the past. In 2008, with the start of the Empyrean Age, the first pilots flocked to Black Rise and Placid to engage in Faction Warfare. Through years of having better starting combat skills and more effective ships for this style of combat the Caldari seized control and by 2009 had total war zone control. These were dark days for the Gallente Militia, but as the Phoenix is reborn from its death so too the Gallente Militia would be.

Leading this charge was the QCATS, who began a terror campaign that led to the conquest of the Nisuwa star system. From there they began to spread influence and soon the systems of Nennemaila and Vlillier where taken. Since that time these three system have served as the homes for the Gallente Militia and, though they have been heavily contested, they have never fallen. They are the Fortress of the Gallente, beacons to the world that the Federal Militia will never see those dark days again.  Over time more groups began to raise up in the Federal Militia. Most came out the QCATS and the Villore Accords, but unlike the Caldari, there was no civil war. These Alliances had their splits and divisions, but this did not breed internal hatred as it did in other militias. This is because the Gallente Militia value personal freedom and ability.

This what brought the rise of the Gallente Militia. When fighting outnumbered, its better to have superior skill than your more numerous opponents. Not just in terms of skill points but it terms of  how well you fly your ship; your use of tactics. The Gallente Militia started a training campaign from the ground up, teach pilots how to fly smart. First you learn Solo Plex fighting, then small gang fighting, small gang Fleet Command, Fleet PvP, and finally, Fleet FCing. This grassroots movement of being overall overall better pilots, began to attract more experienced pilots to the Gallente Militia. Gallente Militia makes loyalty points differently from other militias. While it is possible to make a great deal of LP in missions, for the Gallente, you have to use a HAC or Tech3 to do the high level 4 missions. These are simple kill missions that, in other militias, you can use a stealth bomber, but due to the use of ECM by Caldari NPC rats a bomber does not have the tank or the sensor strength to fight inside the mission hub.  This means that most Gallente pilots make their LP and ISK by plexing. While you could plex systems and run from combat, it is better to use a plex as a means to train pilots how to fly ships.
Over time this bred a killer instinct in the Gallente Militia. Where other militia are often seen as places to farm LP; read "LP ATMs," the Gallente became hardened killers. They are not bogged down in size by hordes of farmers and alts. Instead they are mostly combat active pilots looking for a fight in the war zone. The comparison that I think is best is in 300, when asking the other Greeks what their jobs were, then asking the Spartans.
When TEST entered Caldari Militia last fall, they confirmed this when talking about the Gallente Militia. While they were just talking about one corp, JUSTK, it very well could have been the whole Militia. It is a Militia of FCs and Target Callers.  More than once in fights FC's have gone down in a Militia fleet and instead of bailing on the fight like often happens with the Caldari, a new FC simply started calling targets. I was once in a fight with the former Caldari Alliance Happy Endings. We were on our fifth caller and still fighting as if nothing had changed. It all comes from 2009, that total defeat.
Instead of staying down and dying, the Gallente Militia rose up. Though there have been hard days since, Gal Mil bends under the weight but never breaks. There was a time not too long ago when the Gallente Militia held only 6 systems and yet the Caldari, with 1500 more pilots, were not able to take the Great Fortresses. 

The biggest danger to the Gallente Militia at the moment is a sense of entitlement; real life parallels? Of all the militias it is the one that has to fight this off the most. It has to see that it remains at the top, it has to keep fighting and clawing to stay there. 

If you decide to become a Federation pilot, then you will not just be another cog in the machine. Your fellow pilots will require that you become independent and strong.  You will be expected to hold your own and know how to pilot your ship. You'll be judged by personal ability and willingness to take a fight.

Edited by Aureleos

What does your choice of race means about you? Amarr/Minmatar

I was having this conversation with some of my corpmates the other night. What does a person's race say about them.  It was kind of joking at first, but turned into some really deep thoughts. When we choose our race in New Eden is that who we really are? Most the time I'd say no, but if you look at it in the context of Faction Warfare, it becomes more fuzzy than just a simple, yes/no.  This post is for more for people are just starting and looking at the different races and wondering how they are played out in the game. While in PvE I'd say who cares, in the context of Faction Warfare, which faction choose might say a lot about you.

The first two we will look at are the Amarr and the Minmatar. Often this is seen as a black and white fight. Good vs Evil. After only sociopaths want to be Slavers, and everyone of wants the chance to raise up against our oppressors. While it could be an interesting story line, it tends to have a negative effect on the war zone, as the Amarr spend most the time fighting outnumbered, because of a Slaver label.

Amarr Empire:
While the chronicles set the Amarr as some kind of over religious Empire, and the 24th Crusaders help with the image, when I look at Amarr I see pilots that want order. They want to control the space around them. To this end, it was FWEDDIT that tried to bring order to FacWar right from the start. While not a Nullsec alliance at the time, they brought the same mentally and personality to FacWar. Doctrine Fleets, Ship Replace Programs, and even a Meta game were all brought to FacWar by Fweddit. They would give the usual party line, "I love Slaves", while they sought to create order around them.
Even the non militia Amarr guys that I know tended to be guys that wanted structure around them. They wanted doctrine fleets, they wanted battle comms, they wanted order in this crazy game. Unfortunately for the 24th Crusaders the Slaver tag, turns many people away. As a militia it is almost always the smallest.
The other thing that this idea of control and order does is it prevents large scale "Civil wars" inside the militia. It does happen last November for a brief time there was an Amarr. Most the time the pilots inside the 24th Crusades play nice and stick to the plan, war zone control.
An Amarr Pilot should be some who wants to control the space around them. While they are "slavers", they are more looking to give a sense of order to the cluster. These pilot also know that they'll have to fight outnumbered and this drives them to become better.

Minmatar Republic: 
 If you have Slavers then you need Slaves right? This slaves tag is what defines Minmatar pilots. They see it and think, "oh Slaves, they must be the good guys. They are Under-Dogs." Although Minmatar have some of the best ships in the games and had more good PVP ships than any other race per tiercide re-balance.  But this under dog thinking is what drives pilots of the Tribal Liberation Front. And while the tide of farming alts have shifted to the to Amarr, due to recent war zone success, most the time the Minmatar have 500-700 more pilots than their Amarrian foes, but still they want us to believe that they are being oppressed.
But this fierce Under-Dog sprite comes at a cost. While Amarr Civil Wars are rare, Minmatar Civil Wars are almost a year thing. Each one can be boiled down to simple boredom inside themselves. Because there is often more Minmatar pilots they tend to overwhelm the Amarr. After they achieve zone control teir 4, they began to break down. That is when the Civil War occurs. It is these Civil Wars that breathe life back into the Amarr, and they are about to began their climb back up the zone control ladder. After all if you put 10 dogs in a room with a pig, they work together and kill the pig. Once the pig is dead, they turn on themselves to see who gets the bacon.
Minmatar pilots are the forever underdog, in spirit. In truth most the time there are more slaves than masters. While their ships look ugly they are great in all solo, small gang ,and fleet pvp. When given a common foe they are relentless in their attacks, but once that foe retreats the look for enemies within.

I am not saying that is 100% accurate. And I imgine that more than a few people will post and scream at me. That is fine. What I am saying is this what I have seen in Faction Warfare over the last two years, I have been part of it.

Gate to Gate: Make New Eden Big Again.

I have said before that New Eden is big. How big? Well there are more than 5328 systems that players can go. The cluster more than 106 light years long, 90 light years wide and 25 light years thick. It is an impressive thing, but yet it feels so small. In a matter of minutes one group be in Fountain, and then in Providence, two regions of space, that do not even share stargates.  From their throne in Delekin, in similar time Goonswarm can travel form Delve to support other members of the CFC and from the Heitmatar region Pandemic Legion can spring on nearly any unsuspecting carrier or capital ship fleet. In the blink of an eye 1000 man fleets are moved from on side of a space to the other. And with the creation of coalitions EVE is no longer the large sandbox for children, but instead has become a group of teenagers in a small playpen.  What I'm thinking about is a way to make the game healthier and to increase the size of the sandbox.

Death to Jump Bridges: 

First I would completely remove Jump Bridges from the game. While the idea of a Jump Bridge is good, it has created an unhealthy product in  the game where large alliances and coalitions only require Military might and have no need for their own industrial backbone. Because of the ease that Jump Bridges have made shipping large amount of goods from Highsec to Nullsec, there is little to no industry in Null. This is because HighSec care-bears and industrialist are willing to make large amounts of ships and modules with sometimes less than 4% profit. This is super cheap, and makes it cheaper for null to ship goods from high to null, than to invest in industry.
One thing that I think is interesting is when people say to to fix null that it needs to be more "farms and fields" style of ownership. But they are unwilling to do the nerfs and buffs that required to to do so. If the end goal of a Nullsec revamp is "farms and fields" then we have to look at a wide ranges of nerfs and buffs. Killing Jump Bridges is a start in that direction. Farmer and Fields will never be achieved with jump bridges in the game, because it is too easy to move ships and goods from High sec to Null.

Nerf Jump Distances:
While I think that Jump Bridges have no place in the game, Jumping from system to system does. that said, it allows for ridiculous force projection in the game. I feel that all jump ranges should be hard capped at 3 light years for military or combat hulls, Titans, Dreadnoughts, Super-Carriers, and Carriers, while Jump Freighters and Roquloas are limited to 2.5 light years. I feel that is still as long enough range give cap ships the range to attack as support, while not becoming a main vanguard.
Jump Freighters do have a role and still should be used, but while their massive range and how far they transport goods, they need to get nerf and I'd give them a bit of a buff. First I'd give them buff that they could hull 75% more than what they are currently hulling. This will still allow for specialty items to be jumped into Null and Low, but this buff in cargo comes at a 50% reduction in how far they can jump. What this will do is put the JF in danger more and making it a greater risk to be destroyed and start to give Nullsec a reason to form industrial backbones.

Make Space Big:
Space is big and it should feel big in New Eden. Not only should it feel big but it should feel hard to control. As it stands right now in null one fully upgraded system can only support 10-15 pilots. This while High Sec mission hubs can support 100s of pilots. Is it no wonder that people stay in High Sec to make isk. there should be little penalties to living in null, in fact it should be seen a preferable to High Sec. Their should be more ways to make isk in null than in High. This mean that null needs a major buff. well major is the wrong the wrong word, it needs a SUPER buff.
First allow for Null sec station to "hire" mission agents. While they can't have LP stores, Sov holding alliance should be able hire an agent that can give tasks to those living out there. These agents should range form level 1-5 can allow for a 100% mark up. These agents will only be in station systems and could increase the number pilots able to live in a system to near infinite. These agents like I said should cost ISK cause after all you can't make money with out spending money.

Agent Level	First Cost	Monthly Fee
Level 1	500,000,000	250,000,000
Level 2	1,000,000,000	500,000,000
Level 3	1,500,000,000	750,000,000
Level 4	2,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Level 5	2,500,000,000	1.250,000,000

Possible cost of Agent Hiring
Second is I would decrease the time to the rat, complex and DoD site re-spawn.  These should re-spawn fast enough and in large enough quantity that it could support each could support 10-15 pilots. These means at any given time there should be 10 pirate complexes, ten DoD sites, and rats every 5-10 minutes in the belts at station, PoCo and Stargates. While I you hold off on increase the amount of ISK per-kill on rats, I think that they should happen fast enough that belts can support several pilots ratting at the same time in the same system.
Last buff Nullsec's industrial out put. Stations in null don't have to be better that highsec stations, but they shouldn't be as different as they are now. If anything a fully upgraded station should be 95% of a HighSec Station of the same class. If we really want NullSec to be "farmers and fields" then Null Industrial needs to worth doing. While it won't quite be at HighSec levels it will be at a point Miners and Industrials still well be about to turn a profit from such task.

Holding Space should be Hard:

My idea for fixing sov is not terribly new, but I feel that it would be better for small gangs while allowing for possibilities or large scale epic fights. I'm not going say that SOV needs to be like Facwar, cause though I'm in FacWar, I don't see that as a conflict driver for Null. Instead I'd call for removal of Sovereignty Blocker Units and that the Hit Points on TCU is cut to 1.2 million and giving a 2 hour Re-Enforce Timer.

 The biggest thing that I here complaint that hear coming from Nullsec is the Sov Grind. That there are too many structure.  While the concept Sov Blockers is good, what it had turned EVE into is a game of grinding structures. This endless grind has burnt out more players than any other reason in New Eden. It also prevents Small groups from competing in the SOV game. While in the short term it was okay, Long term it created the rise of massive coalitions claiming 1/3 of space with no real out side threats.
Holding Space should be hard. Not just for small groups, but for large groups as well.  The TCU as it stands is basically a giant Flag. Small roaming fleets of say  25 destroys, should be able to fly out to space and knock the flag down. This well require large Sov Blocs to send out patrols to police their area. Every system without  iHubs will fall quickly it, now is out there protecting their space.
iHubs will continue with the same amount of hit points, but with one major change. They now require fuel to remain online. The more they are upgraded the more fuel they well require.(example)

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Fuel/Day	500 units	1500 units	4500 units	13500 units	40500 units

Now I would give them a fuel bay this large enough to support a Level 5 iHub for 30 days, but this since it scales down this means that a fully loaded level 1 iHub can last for every months.  Last I would shift the iHubs timers from 28-34 hours to 20-26 hours. If the fuel bay is empty then just like a POS tower there is no timer and the system can be taken quickly.
My idea is that to hold SOV, you have to be more active in that space than just paying a rent fee. You have to be willing to patrol that space, fuel it, and defend from the hordes. Now some will argue that these changes well make it impossible for call groups to hold space. And I agree it will be hard, as it should be. But while it is hard to hold, space will be easier for all groups to take. Right now that is what is wrong with SOV, it is too easy to hold too hard to take. It needs to be flipped to so that more groups have a chance to get into the SOV game or at least be able to mess with those that are.

Please leave a comment, with your ideas or some additions to mine. While I admit i'm not a master at SOV, I do see that it needs some changes.

EVE: True Stories 1

DarkHorse released the first installment of it's EVE online graphic novel series, EVE: True Stories. These were talked about last year at fanfest as a way to bring more people into the game and help people understand the eve universe. What sets EVE: True Stories apart from other graphic novels is that all the stories are not fiction. I almost call them Historical Fiction. All the personalities the locations and the events are real in the EVE Online Universe.  

True Stories 1 is based on the Alexander Gianturco or The Mittani as he is more commonly known, story of the fall of Band of Brothers. It is a 4 part story that looks at Haargoth Agmar and his role in bringing the once greatest alliance in EVE to it's knees.

As far a graphic novels go this is one of the shortest one I have read, only 17 pages. But while it was short, it was enjoyable for the EVE fan. I'm not sure how people who do not plat the game will feel about it. But so far I have seen good reviews to it. What I enjoy most about it is that you can tell what ships are what. It was fun for me saying, there is a Arazu and look that the Wolf.

I am glad that the author and inker took some liberties on the combat and how it looked, though I fear that people that never played the game before will be sadden when it doesn't meet the expectation. The Dialogue is good, and while not the standard in EVE, it does give it a better feel that just local or fleet chat logs. But that said, I'd love to see in next parts, some of the EVEmails sent from Goonswarm to Haargoth. I think that would really bring this story home to those of us that remember The Fall. 

Full Circle: The War Eagle raises its head.

We have come full circle my friends. We have seen the best that enemy could field and we held. They pushed for warzone control but we held. They pushed for Tier 5, but we held. They came at us from all side but we held. We stood our ground. We meet swords with shields. Our Atrons and Kestrels littered battlefields. They attacked our will but we held on. Their greatness strength, became their weakness. Their blob became slow and weak, while our gangs became fast and strong. They wanted new FC's, but none ever came, while we gained new heroes and old legends came back to fight. They became predictable flame, while we became wildfire. They saw that a even a wounded eagle could fight when cornered. Now we strong, now our claws are sharpened, now we will let out our war cries and push the vial Squids back.
Five months ago a Dinosaur of Null came to roam to our lands. While we held on to key systems, it went on a rampage. The Dinosaur is why they took systems and conquered much of Black Rise and Placid. But it was truly never a Squid. As I said then the Dinosaur would give them hope. It would bring life back to the dying husk that was Caldari Militia. While the fights were good, and it gave us a chance to sharpen our doctrines and strengthen our FC's, we knew that one day the Dinosaur would leave and head back to its Null Sec hunting grounds.
The true squids rode its back proclaiming that we were beat; we watched. We went back to our fortresses egging the Dinosaur on. In Nisuwa we held their advances. In Hallanen we watched as their fleets died to our suicide bombers. Then like when Ev0ke came from the Null Lands, we challenged them in Eha, turning it into our Helmsdeep. We watched as they came to break our wills, only to be turned way. Soon the Dinosaur shook off its rider as it heard a familiar call. It turned its head and roamed back to lands from which it came. After giving them hope, it abandoned them.
Now they sit in their stations, like old vets, remembering the past. They pretend that they were conquers, while never leaving 5k from a station. While on the back on the Dinosaurs they touched the sky, and began to think that they ruled it. But a Squid can never sore with Eagles. And it is time to show them that it is in fact the Eagles rule the skies of  Placid and Black Rise.
And so we have came full circle. We are back at the beginning, before the Dinosaur came. Both armada sit in tier one, struggling to gain a foothold. But our armada is no longer in shambles. It is no longer crippled by the farmer plague. Though we have lost many ships, our claws have never been sharper. Now it the time that put down our shields and and leave our fortresses. It is time for us to  pick up our swords. Now it is the time for the Eagle to raise its head and remind all of New Eden of the justice and freedom that is stands for.

Fly Safe #21

When doing captial ship operations, triple check your fuel bay. Make sure that you have enough fuel for the trip and a jump out. Nothing is worse than not being able to jump once a operation is over.

Never Pheed the Troll: Now with Disqus

I have updated the comments of the blog by adding Disqus to the comments sections. Now it is easier than ever before to leave comments on the Blog.  I hope that many of you enjoy this new feature and use it. Thanks again for reading.