Only The Young

After a series of unfortunate events that has left my economical and psychological back cleanly snapped in two, I am reaching a point in my career in piracy where I fear the worst.

I could have avoided the large majority of these I'm sure, others were just unfortunate. Here is a list of the negatives that have befallen me over the past nine days...

Sader loss; no biggie, just doing my job as a tackler! I will hop into the only station and fit up whatever I can find.
Terrible fit Retri loss; oh a Harbinger... I'm nanoed I'll get out fine... BOOM. In my pod and no worries I'll just warp out...
Snake loss; oh... Oh the pain.

So me being a fool with a pretty hearty wallet and station full of glorious ships I bought a new set. Wallet's looking meagre by this time but at least I have the tools to get that isk back through piracy right?!

Well...

Dramiel loss; Oh god... I couldn't just have a quality Dramiel duel? Triple web Celestis ftw!
Comet loss; And another one bites the dust. Two seemingly unaffiliated Dramiels sneakily teaming up to take little ol' me down.

There's been another bunch of Rifters down the drain since these horrific displays of failure. As we speak a lossmail involving POS guns and my now dead Slicer is awaiting API upload, I just didn't have the heart to do it myself.

My hangar is rapidly emptying, my wallet is following suit. The tunnel gets longer and longer as I begin to lose the light. Each un-dock is a prayer unheard for something juicy and even with strings of kills on faction frigates and other such things nothing is happening.

I am brought to contemplation by a stanza of song lyrics;

"Look back in silence; the cradle of your whole life.

There in the distance, losing it's greatest pride. 

Nothing is easy, nothing is scared. Why?

Where did the bow break?

It happened before your time."

I've been once more harshly reminded of the fickle nature of both a life in New Eden and in pure piracy-based survival. Had I an alt to go bring the bacon home I'd laugh these off, yet as I live by the ships I fly and die in I do not feel quite so confident. 

Apologies for the lax in the blogging to any who may care, it's been a rough week. Here's to a better one soon. I leave you with Brandon Flowers, a man who grew up in Las Vegas. I think it's only apt to portray the concepts of New Eden as a gambler's game with a song written on the very subject...

I Must Belong Somewhere

It's been a long time coming. As of today I can officially fly every single frigate in New Eden to an effective level. That is to say, tech II fit ships across the board with no skill alterations between racial guns/missiles/hulls/tanks.

I'm currently at 17,200,000 skillpoints, though battleclinic thinks highly of me and is adamant that I must have 20,000,000! My character hasn't been devoted to this goal since day one, that's for sure. I most certainly believe that a heavily focused character could achieve the same thing in about 16,000,000 should it be your goal.

Whilst there is a good portion of my being that is filled with elation at the achievement here, another part of me just wonders how much I've actually shot myself in the foot. The whole journey was a largely unconscious one at first, inspired by fellow corp mate and current ghost (to my sadness) Kirith Darkblade. Upon hearing about his plan to max out the skills on his Rifter I immediately pledged myself to the path of the frigate pilot... Whilst I wasn't quite patient enough to achieve what he still endeavours to do, I instead have ended up reaching my own frigate-based milestone.

I look back on the months of skills being trained and remember my first week of being in the Tuskers where I flew grossly inefficient Jaguars until I realized that such $$ ships just won't work out well for me in the long run. I scaled back to my Rifter roots and have been periodically undocking in them since. So whilst it's great that I've now gained access to over 40 different frigate based hulls, I can't help but wonder what I've exactly 'given' to my corporation. I suppose this is a tie-in to my recent post in regards to Crazy Kinux's (who is celebrating the 6 year blogging milestone, keep rocking buddy!) monthly blog banter, where we discussed why we loved the corporation we were in.

In reality it is quite acceptable to understand the any normal corporation would ask for progression from their pilots, at the very least improvement. Considering we are a pirate corporation that has (in my opinion) garnered a collective aim of excellency in our combat endeavours, I wonder whether my stubborn and stagnating skillsheet has allowed me to benefit the corp as a whole. Factoring in that applications do open and close based upon player number, along with the increasingly grandiose operations we take part in, I wonder whether there was someone else in the world of New Eden who would have better filled the shoes I now walk in. Contemplating the fact that I'm still here only further cements my loyalty to the Tusker banner fortunately, I guess I'm a rather lucky guy.

A few final questions that I have for whoever is still reading; does anyone else in Eve have the same ability to fly every frigate currently in-game to a tech II and high skilled standard (98% of Lv V skill efficiency)? And secondly, what personal plans and goals do you have/had for yourself and have you achieved them?

I'd love to hear some other pilots thoughts on the various concepts (I hope) I've raised in this post. Till then, all the best o/

P.S. As is new protocol, the song which I use for my title is now being posted at the end of my entries. Music is a large portion of my life too and I only see it fit that Kishin loves it too!

My Little Demon

I promised I'd give a write up of the specific fit I used for my Dramiel a few weeks ago and after a deal of procrastinating and some helpful kick up the pants by the concerted effort by Arrhi to attempt to revitalize the entire concept of solo low-sec pvp, I've finally gotten round to divulging my fit... So now you'll all build the perfect counter and kill me!
_______________________________

Here's the basic fitting

Karma Police
H: 150mm Autocannon II x 2
H: Corpii C-Type Nosferatu

M: Gistii B-Type 1MN Afterburner
M: Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler
M: Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor
M: Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor

L: Coreli C-Type Adaptive Nano Plating
L: Damage Control II
L: Coreli C-Type Small Armor Repairer

R: Small Anti-Explosive Pump I
R: Small Projectile Burst Aerator I
R: Small Semiconductor Memory Cell I

Warrior II x 3
_______________________________

Pros
Fast among frigate hulls (though slower than a Shield Dramiel) as it kicks in at 1886m/s with level V skills.
Above standard tackle giving leeway for a lot of freedom on the battlefield. You have complete control of how you want to dictate the fight.
The tracking disruptor is phenomenal. Whether it's disrupting the range of a smaller ship to kite against or to cut up tracking speed of a hulking Hurricane... It is a life saver.
Extra range and pulling power of the nos gives quality cap life (4 minutes with ALL modules running, even rep!)
Totally unexpected!

Cons
No real buffer can cause some distress in a difficult situation.
Life dependant upon cap... Larger targets hurt ability to repair.
Slower than other Dramiels (though ultimately better IMHO)
Average dps overall (155 combined)
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I can understand why this might not be a ship suited to the majority of pilots out there, though when you actually look at what is on offer here, it actually shines as a proto-Ishkur in my opinion. You lose the same level of buffer tank for much improved speed, better tackle and not too shabby DPS. Most would argue that the Comet is the obvious choice for a speedy Ishkur but whe tracking disruptor just sways it for me. I'd provide a lengthy discussion post over why I believe this is not only the ultimate Dramiel fit but also the fit to truly crown the Dramiel as the undeniably best frigate in the game... I just don't think it's even necessary.

A final note that I think also benefits the ship; you can utilize the 3rd and 4th 'additive' mid slot (i.e. web & td) to achieve many different roles... Want more tank? Fit a Cap Booster over one of the modules. Want DD pwnage ability? Fit dual webs and kite him to death. Want better fleet support? Throw two TD's in the mix and a long point for some awesome tackling ability.

The possibilities for this fit are so multi-layered that you can really customise this to fit whatever you need, when you need it. I love it to death... Well to the point of it's inevitable death. Then I cry at my wallet and pray for another to hit my hangar bay.

Discussion and/or questions please guys and girls! Till I get them enjoy some damn good music...

Blog Banter 22: Girl With One Eye

This month's topic is brought to us by L’Dene Bean of Nitpickin’s who asks: Why, and how did you pick your corporation? Is your loyalty solid or just until a better placed organization “recruits” you. The shorter version: Who holds your Unshakable Fealty and why?


Okay well I would hope that the corporation I belong to needs little to no introduction for the majority of the bloggers that so much as take a glance at this blog but for those select few that have absolutely no clue I shall give a quick run down of our 'role' within New Eden.


The Tuskers are essentially a pirate corporation, sharing the same age old tradition as many other successful (and less so) piracy based corps in Eve. What I feel sets us apart and also the reasoning behind my application, (and Jolo is going to murder me for saying this) was the fact that we pride ourselves on good etiquette and being generally trustworthy. This could in some circumstances correlate to the idea of 'honour', though general consensus suggests that honour is a nigh impossible thing to chase within the profession of piracy. We do purposefully ruin people's days for a living of course...


 So now I've made sure to safeguard myself from having the Tusker name corralled into the 'honourable pirate' category I can steam forward with the rest of this entry!


Not only do we have the aforementioned 'honourable' reputation but it's been apparent since day one that the majority of Tuskers are quite competent pilots. It would make sense considering it is our life blood (some more so than others) and our main connection to the wonderful thing that is Eve. This atmosphere of quality, noticeable through our killboard statistics and less than flexible application process, means that generally only like-minded and worthwhile pilots get into the ranks. This isn't to suggest that the Tuskers are a bunch of elitists or anything, they did accept me afterall.


The people are friendly, I have a great deal of freedom as to how I play the game. I fly what I want, when I want and go where I want. Occasionally fellow corp members tag along too and then things usually get really interesting. I can't really think of much more that I would want. 


Could I survive in another pirate corporation? Sure I could. 


Would there even be a point in going elsewhere to look? Most certainly not. That whole 'greener grass' mentality has never stuck well in my head. A quite clear cut example is in the fact that I still can only fly frigates at a rather respectable 17 million skillpoints, yet all I hear about is the grandiose nature and awesomeness that is the Battlecruiser. I actually think I get told on a daily basis to start training... Do I? Of course not!


I've found that through the Tuskers I've managed to forge some semblance of a name for myself too. Admittedly the larger portion of that name comes purely from being a flashy red Tusker (which usually causes anyone to flee the scene) but nonetheless I am thankful for being able to parasitically improve my skills from the people within the corp, buff up my wallet with the wonderful kills and fair system for splitting loot and generally just finding the best parts of my life through the connections and reputation our corp has. 


I would hope that the Tuskers feel I am still a worthwhile addition to the ranks that it hasn't been quite so one-sided a relationship as I've portrayed. Hell, even if it was they'd have a tough time booting me out the door. I am here to stay. 


Much like Arrhi's experience I've seen plenty a pilot leave the Tuskers, some very good friends. The experience does indeed change everytime I log on and to realize that I am allegedly a 'veteran' among the blood now is a strange revelation to experience. I still see myself as the fool who's got a terrible skillset and refuses to bend, the guy who's getting murdered all over the shop and the 'new guy' who get heckled by the rest of the gang when I log on to vent. 


Essentially, I am the Girl With One Eye. I'm not complaining. 

World In My Eyes

Just a quick post to introduce you all to a new blogger and fellow pilot in Mew Eden (and yes, he is a Tusker!)

His name is Buck Flintrock and his blog is readable here.

I chose a wonderful b-side song by The Cure (as the title of course, all my titles are songs) for this inaugural third party cannoning of Buck's blog into the community that is us, the bloggers. I hope you guys go take a look, follow if you like and keep a tab on the various goings on of this stellar guy.

Oh and I got first follower, so you'll all just have to vie for second... *victory dance*

Welcome to the blogging community Buck, wishing you all the best in the future!

Karma Payment Plan

So as some know, others didn't but know now and the rest that couldn't give a flying; I am back on eve. To commemorate this I first perused through the blogs of my friends whom I have admittedly not been keeping up to date with. One post particular caught my eye and I read it. Cartoon Boy's post pertaining to the idea of karma (which was eloquently titled the same) had me ready to come back to the blogging and pirating world, so much so I left a comment on there. It reads as thus;

"A perfect song for a rather sombre topic.

I name my Dramiels after the same song; 'Karma Police'. I rage so hard when they die that the many kills I obtain with it all equate to the same pain I feel when it finally explodes. 

Karma indeed."

(He had 'Karma Police' by Radiohead attached to the entry!)

So obviously when I returned after a period of pirating, karma had surely forgotten about little old me right? Eh... Not quite. It was in fact, plastered all around the cockpit of my faithful Dramiel 'Karma Police'. I should have checked the lock a bit better when I put it in the hangar that last time because a mere 24 hours after my return to Eve, it went down in a blaze of FAIL. What did I do wrong? Everything. 

Now I know Dramiel's aren't stellar craft for dispatching Daredevil's at the best of times but with the backup waiting I genuinely thought I'd be fine. Well, had I done the checklist of do's, I just might have been.

Instead I forgot to launch my drones, activate my web, overheat my afterburner and keep the necessary range to not be one-shotted. Unfortunately I didn't do what used to be a second nature habit of mine and for this I lost the ship I loved the most... I'll be writing up why I used the fit I have done, how it netted me a good 50 kills and is my favourite Dramiel fit out there. Expect to see a synopsis in the next instalment of this blog series.

The rust is peeling off, I promise. One loss at a time.

High On Rebellion

So I'm finally back, after around 40 or so days of inactivity I believe (should my memory serve me correct).

I'm back for a rather specific reason, mainly pertaining to fellow corp mate Bourreau's tri frigate tournament that he has put together. I'm really looking forward to it and am also in the search for some teammates!

Rules have been updated since his post, so I'll get on his case and get him to post up a new blog with updated rules for all you fellow pvpers who are interested. Whether my activity will hold after the tournament is a complete mystery to me, there have been some rather large revelations in my life (real, naturally) and thus I'm taking a step back to look at my options. Hopefully during that time Eve will find a comfy place to exist, I do love the ol' spaceships!

Glad to be back for the time being, hopefully for the future too. *hugs the entire world of Eve* I missed killing you!