The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

[EVE] 2 New Titans Unveiled: One undersized and slightly bent

MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
edited August 2007 in MMO Extravaganza
Previous thread here.

SIMPLE GUIDE FOR HOOKING UP WITH THE PA CORPORATION
0) Post in this thread saying you're going to give the game a try, so we know you're coming.
1) Do the tutorial. I know it's long and boring but it is absolutely necessary to learn very basic things about the UI and how various game mechanics work. If you ask us how to do things that you learn in the tutorial, we'll mock you.
2) Fly to Mista and dock at the station at Moon 4 - Ishukone Corporation Factory. Apply to Merch Industrial. Mention your PA name in your application. If you just registered this week and have never posted on PA before we're probably going to assume you're a spy and you might not get in.
3) Wait to be accepted.
4) Once accepted, new tabs on your mailbox will show up -- Corp and Alliance. Read all these mails. They're all important. Some might not make complete (or any) sense to you yet, but the ones that do are important so read them.
5) Find the Corp mail that outlines how to join our private forums. Follow the instructions carefully.
6) Once you've been approved on our forums, read the Adopt-a-Newbie sticky in the main forum. PM one of the mentors that is noted as accepting newbies, so they can answer your questions and help you out. Establish the best method of contact with them (PM, IM, Evemail) and feel free to fire questions at them constantly.
7) While doing steps 4-6, say hello in corpchat. You will be called a spy and told to get out. This is standard procedure. Also, while you should definitely say hi and talk in corp chat or our forums, don't talk / post in allied and intel channels until you've watched them for a couple days. Some have strict rules and are not to be used for random chat bullshit. Save that for corpchat.

This is not a Merch Industrial-only thread, but most of the PA players are in the corp. If you want to do your own thing and join other Eve corporations / alliances, go for it -- just be aware that we just won't be able to help you as easily. If you join and follow the steps above, you'll get help much faster.

evebanner.jpg

Gentlemen, welcome to The Great War... in Space. Welcome to EVE Online.

EVE Online is an MMO set in the space region called New Eden, irrevocably separated from Earth after an inexplicable incident involving the Eve Gate, the one connection between New Eden and Earth.

The game world spans hundreds of solar systems, divided into several regions of varying security level from 1.0 to 0.0 -- the former being highly patrolled by NPC police, the latter being lawless territory for the largest player corporations to war over. It would take several hours at best to travel from one side of the galaxy to another.

Not only is the game world vast in a spatial sense, but in a player sense. Eve Online is entirely unsharded -- every single player shares the same game world, with between 15,000 - 30,000 players online at any given time.

Besides the sheer size of the game land, there are several things which divide EVE from the rest of the MMOs on the market, and make it something truly special.

Freedom: There are no goals except those which you make for yourself. There are no professions, no classes, no titles that the game assigns your character based on your decisions on character creation. You are what you do. No more, no less.

Character Progression: In Eve, everyone learns new skills at almost exactly the same rate as everyone else -- in real-time, not based on killing NPCs. Furthermore, skills continue to train while you're offline, so even if you have to take a two-week hiatus, you're still going to progress in skill assuming you set a sufficiently long-term skill to train. So set a skill, and then go fly around doing whatever you want. Or log out and go to the bar. Or set one of the longer skills to train, and take a few weeks off -- when you get back, you'll have that painfully long skill out of the way.

Skill System Depth: The skill system is deep AND broad; to learn to do everything at peak efficiency would take something on the order of at least seven years -- and by then there'll be more to train anyway, rest assured. On the other hand, the broadness of skills available allow a relatively new player to become proficient in a short time by focusing on a particular race's ships, particular ship classes, on trading, or on mining and production.

The Stakes Matter: PVP in Eve matters because there are stakes involved. When you lose your ship, you lose your ship. There's insurance, but that will often only cover most of the hull cost (on tech 2 ships, it won't even cover much of that). Modules, cargo, special implants all can be destroyed. And if your modules/cargo weren't destroyed, rest assured your opponent will almost certainly loot them from your wreck. But that's just on a personal level -- PVP matters on a corporation and alliance level too, as player groups numbering in the thousands war over 0.0 territory, the richest areas in the game. Losing a battle might not only mean the loss of your ship -- it might mean the loss of your home, leaving your non-liquid assets locked in now-hostile territory.

So it's open-ended. Great. So, uh, what do I do?

These are the general areas of play in Eve Online. It's not comprehensive, particularly when it comes to PVP and Alliances -- just an overview.
  • Kill NPC pirates (or NPC police!) for bounties and loot
  • Play the fully-open, well-featured, player-driven market through trade
  • Mine for raw materials, and/or produce equipment and ships that can either be used personally or sold on the market
  • Pirate and ransom other players in low-security space
  • Use scanning equipment to search space for hidden PVE sites
  • Join The Great War for 0.0 Space with the Penny Arcade alliance WANG or any of their allies (or their enemies, if you're a git)

Speaking of WANG...
wangbanner.jpg

What began as a small industrial corp that was barely able to defend itself has, over the course of the past half-year, evolved into something quite grand. What was (and technically still is) Merch Industrial has become the WANG Alliance.

As a corporation, we produce a multitude of non-capital vessels, and have a developing capital ship production program as well. Many individuals in the corporation are quite the burgeoning industrialists themselves, producing modules and ships for sale either in Empire space or 0.0 space. There are traders who specialize in trading rare ships and blueprints, and there traders who specialize in trading modules or minerals in vast quantities. There are mining specialists, who can strip asteroid belts dry in a blink, and haulers who can haul that loads sweet ore to a production facility. There are an ever-growing number of pilots dedicated to PVP, constantly fighting our enemies -- whether they're local pirates in Hoshoun or the opposing forces in the largest territorial war in Eve history. Most of us participate in many or all of these activities -- the multifaceted gameplay of Eve allows you to give it all a try, and many of us do.

WANG currently operates out of two areas. The first is our old dependable fortress in Hoshoun, on the edge of the Amarrian Empire in low-sec. It has a single station, abundant belts, good NPC hunting opportunities, fairly fast access to one of the game's best market hubs, and close proximity to some of the staunchest allies we've ever had. Hoshoun is no longer the bustling hub of WANG activity, but remains an area of operation for members who elect to remain in low-sec (either due to inexperience with 0.0 space, or their own personal preferences).

The second area is deep southeastern 0.0 space, which includes Scalding Pass, Wicked Creek, Curse, Detorid, Tenerifis, and Omist -- the primary areas of operation of our 0.0 allies (Goonswarm, Red Alliance, and Tau Ceti Federation). Currently, our operations in the area include ice mining which produces materials necessary for POS and capital ship usage, individual production of modules and ships to sell on their market, and daily combat operations (the objectives and nature of which vary widely on any given day). In return, we have mining, ratting, and mission running access in that area of space.

Either area can be dangerous for a new player, but with a bit of readily available assistance from older members you can be on the way to massive profit in no time. Do not be afraid to ask questions, whether it is in this thread or in-game. Many older players are more than happy to help you in whatever way possible, whether it's advice or a bit of cash to get started. We might be busy at any given moment, but we WILL help you adjust to the realities of 0.0 space if you ask for our advice and assitance.

To join Merch Industrial / WANG, first inquire about membership on the PennyArcade channel in-game and let us know you are coming. This channel is only lightly monitored, but stick around and someone will chat with you eventually. Then, make your way down to one of the following systems and apply:

Hoshoun VII - Moon 17 - Imperial Armaments Warehouse (Headquarters)
Kor-Azor Prime IV (Eclipticum) - Moon Griklaeum - Ishukone Corporation Factory
Ishisomo VIII - Propel Dynamics Factory
Slays V - Moon 1 - Ducia Foundry Mineral Reserve
Mista V - Moon 4 - Ishukone Corporation Factory

Mista is your best bet. It is in 0.5 space, meaning that NPC police still have a strong presence (anyone attacking you will be killed), but is a mere 5 jumps away from Hoshoun.

If you wish to join our 0.0 operations in Goonspace from Day 1, you're certainly welcomed and encouraged to do so. In that case, you'll want to wait until you've been accepted into the corp so we can advise you on how to podjump (the best way to get to our 0.0 headquarters), toss a few ISK your way so you can buy a frigate out here, and help you get on your feet monetarily as well as find someone to shoot at.

In your application, make sure to note that you're coming from PA. Noting your username here and posting in this thread is probably a good idea as well.

ONCE YOU'VE JOINED, READ ALL CORP AND ALLIANCE MAILS FIRST. These will explain many basic things about how the corp works, as well as explain how to join our private forums where even more helpful information is stored.
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Space is divided into three general security levels on a scale from 1.0 to 0.0. 1.0 to 0.5 is considered high security Empire space, where players who commit aggressive acts against other players will swiftly and inevitably have their ships destroyed by the NPC police organization CONCORD. High security space is not a TOTAL guarantor of safety, but it's close.

0.4 to 0.1 is considered low security Empire space, where aggressive acts can take place without CONCORD retribution, but your personal security status will dive and automated turrets around stations and gates will open fire for a time.

0.0 is lawless space; there is absolutely no retribution for aggression, it is where the real meaty stuff is, and it is where the Great War is taking place. It also has the best resources in terms of NPC bounties and asteroids to mine in the game. It's also completely player-run. Players hold sovereignty over space, and players make the wars.

And the current war is the biggest one to date. For a general idea, let's take a look at the map (click for large -- also for updated).

map.jpg

The blobs of blue in the south, west, and north are our enemies (known by general EveO pubbies as "The Alliance"). The red blob in the southeast are our allies (known by general EveO pubbies as "The Coalition"). The small green blobs in the north are what remains of the Northern section of The Coalition, and are also our allies (although to a weaker extent).

So who are these allies you mentioned?

GOONSWARM
Our closest 0.0 allies, going on six months now. Goonswarm is the alliance we work most closely with -- so closely that many in the Swarm often assume that we've become a member corporation of their alliance. We make money, produce goods, mine important minerals, and fight in defense of their space with Goonswarm pilots. Several of our members are even budding Fleet Commanders, leading combat ops of Goons and Wangs, along with other allies as well. They're fantastic allies. The key thing to operating alongside Goonswarm is to keep a sense of humor, and take no personal offense when you get called a faggot spy. Keep a thick skin and learn the ropes, and they'll be the best spacefriends you've ever had.

RED ALLIANCE and TAU CETI FEDERATION
The other two main parts of the southern red block, referred to as RedSwarmFederation by anyone who knows what they're talking about. RA is composed of a bunch of angry Russians that may very well be the best capital force in the game. Their resilience is phenomenal -- once forced back into a single system by a coalition numbering in the thousands, RA has ground down enemy after enemy over the last year. TCF is composed of French-speaking corps, and are also highly successful at capital and sub-capital warfare. The most infamous incident many tell of TCF is when they executed a seige of an important station system without their enemy OR their allies knowing, essentially handing Goonswarm a new system on a platter in a single day.

CURATORES VERITATIS ALLIANCE
And last but most certainly not least, CVA. There are some on these forums who will smack them up for being "haughty roleplayers" or somesuch; honestly, WANG likely could not have gotten as far as it has without the help CVA has often given us. They are the guardians of the area around Hoshoun (our low-sec base), and although we can contribute quite a bit to our own defense, on the rare occasion we are overpowered CVA throws themselves to our defense without fear or hesitation. They are our oldest ally, and despite the fact that most of us now operate quite some distance from their space, they remain a highly valued ally.

So, uh, do we have any enemies?

Well, unfortunately you don't make quite as many friends and get quite as big as we do without gaining the enimity of a few of the big boys. Of major note:

BAND OF BROTHERS
Band of Brothers is one of the most powerful alliances in the game. They are also the sworn enemies of the GoonSwarm, and since Lotka Volterra fell faster than a house of cards, you can be sure that BoB and RedSwarmFederation are currently fighting the biggest war the game has ever seen. These are the guys most of us shoot at on a day to day basis. Recently, our very own Hrin played a pivotal role in decloaking their Titan, leading to its destruction. BoB's stated goal: to conquer all of Eve.

Various tenants and allies of BoB
The allies and tenants (often referred to as "pets") of Band of Brothers are too numerous to name, and currently we don't see many of them. The most prominent is Mercenary Coalition, a mercenary group that controls a section of BoB space in exchange for two weeks of free mercenary work each year. Their most recent exploits were heading the forces that toppled much of the Northern Coalition, leading to the dissolution of long-time nothern entity D2 and the relocation of IRON. Now that MC's contract is up, the remaining green northern allies have begun fighting to retake their space from the various pets BoB has installed.

USHRA'KHAN
Ushra'Khan is the alliance idealogically opposed to CVA, CVA being pro-Amarr-Empire and U'K being pro-Minmatar (and thus anti-slavery.) The problem with U'K, from the WANG standpoint, is that their anti-slavery crusade extends to violence, and unfortunately that violence also seems to extend to friends of CVA. While not nearly as huge as LV or BoB, U'K certainly makes operations for those remaining in and around Hoshoun interesting from time to time. CVA and U'K have been locked in their most heated battles to date over the last few months, making the area quite a hotbed of hostilities.


Additionally, WANG occasionally has to deal with random pirate twits who come after us thinking we're easy kills. Sometimes they're right, and we get crushed for a few battles; sometimes we end up camping them into their home systems while they offer us money to go away. Whatever the case, we're always up for some fleshreaping.

So I'd like to play... What do I do?

Free fourteen day trials are available by clicking this sentence. No emailing other members necessary, no credit card necessary.

But I have some questions!

Keep reading; below are some flashy videos and screenshots, answers to some frequently asked questions, some suggestions on creating your character, and some comments on various aspects of the game by MRCHI members.



Credit to SpaceDrake and Ledneh for much of this content.

Angelus Damelon - Eve
Madtown on
«13456762

Posts

  • MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I'm not sold. gf-colbert.gif

    Then I should post some screenshots and videos.

    OFFICIAL VIDEOS
    EVE Online Intro - explains the New Eden backstory
    EVE Never Fades - a classic, general trailer
    EVE Online: Revelations - trailer for the first Revelations expansion, released last November
    EVE Online: Revelations 2 - trailer for the second Revelations expansion, released June 19th

    By the way: all footage is from the game client, with the exception of the obvious paintings in Eve Online Intro and Eve Never Dies. All models, all lighting, everything. All of those shots are 100% possible in-game. And will run on computers 4 years old.

    GOONSWARM VIDEOS
    Stahlregen (creator of these vids) is a pimp and his videos are awesome. Keep in mind that these were largely made as monthly recruiting videos, documenting Goonswarm's latest exploits -- you don't need to know all the entities mentioned, but it will give you an idea of how things can develop from month to month in the larger Alliance warfare picture.

    August
    September
    October
    November: Goonswarm allies with Red Alliance, invades Scalding Pass. Along with February and March, one of my favorite Eve videos.
    December
    January: ISS, a "neutral" corporation that built outposts by raising money through an Eve IPO, is demolished by Goonswarm and allies after showing aggression against IAC.
    February: Goonswarm and allies attack Lotka Volterra, their nearest enemy and long-time enemy of Red Alliance. Includes the destruction of LV's capital fleet (the largest such loss at a time) and the destruction of LV's Titan supercapital while in production (which several WANG members were present for, myself included). At this point, the galactic war has erupted, with nearly every alliance in the game taking a side: Band of Brothers, Mercenary Coalition & Lotka Volterra plus assorted allies vs. the Southeast (Goonswarm, Red Alliance, Tau Ceti Federation and others) and the North (Dusk and Dawn, IRON, Morsus Mihi, and others).
    March: Galaxy in Flames. Goonswarm and allies finish killing LV and consolidate their space, while setting their eyes on Band of Brothers.
    Eve Online Darwin Awards, or How Shrike Died: Goonswarm, RA and TCF kill a BoB Titan piloted by Shrike, an alt of Sir Molle (the leader of BoB).

    This is the first Titan to be killed while the pilot was at the controls, rather than through creative exploitation of aggression and logoff mechanics as was the case in the two previous Titan kills. For reference, Titans take months to build (and the shipyards they are constructed in are a prime target, with two having already been destroyed while building), months to train for, and the minerals and high-quality modules they're fit with make them worth thousands of dollars. WANG member Hrin is the pilot who decloaked the Titan after Shrike had fired his Doomsday Device, which led to Goonswarm tackling him and Goonswarm + RA capitals taking him down. wang-patriot.gif

    UNCUT TITAN VIDEOS
    Two videos of the Titan kill put up within hours of its death, with minimal editing. This will also give you a better idea of what the game usually looks like in fleet combat, with the UI on and settings adjusted for maximized for performance (in other words, less pretty).

    Red Alliance: Preved Shrike - shot by a RA dreadnought pilot, with awesome music by E-Nomine.
    Goonswarm - shot by a GS covert ops pilot, with Goonswarm Teamspeak as sound.

    SCREENSHOTS
    Click for huge.

    The WANG fleet in action:
    wangfleets1.jpgwangfleets2.jpgwangfleets3.jpg
    wangfleets4.jpgwangfleets5.jpgwangfleets6.jpg
    wangfleets7.jpgwangfleets8.jpg

    The Titan kill:
    titankills1.jpgtitankills2.jpgtitankills3.jpg
    titankills4.jpgtitankills5.jpg

    Wait, I have a question!

    Ask it in this thread and we'll answer it! But here's a brief FAQ anyway.

    Those videos look awesome! Do you fly your ship with a joystick or what?
    Nope, sorry. Eve isn't a twitch game (although fast reflexes do sometimes come into play). You navigate through clicking in space or various buttons on the UI.

    So since you "level up" based on how long you've subscribed to the game rather than poopsocking to grind NPCs, a newbie's never going to be any good right? I shouldn't even bother!
    Not true at all. Winning a PVP fight in Eve is primarily about strategy -- choosing the right ship and modules for whatever the expected fight is in advance, closing range or keeping or opponent at a distance, maintaining a high transversal to avoid being shot, the ability to choose your spots rather than engage in a near unwinnable fight, etc. When you take part in gangs of 20, 50, or hundreds of other players, these tactics become increasingly complex -- and yet, you can fill a role as a tackler (locking down enemy ships from warping away) from day 1 with minimal instruction. EVERY SHIP COUNTS.

    Furthermore, skill levels have diminishing returns. If a basic skill gives you a 5% bonus to X attribute per level trained, then you can train it up to Level IV quite shortly (perhaps a day or two at the most), while training it to V might take 4 days (or much longer for advanced skills) -- but training it up that last level still only gives that elder player an additional 5% bonus. Factor in the immense number of areas to train in, and you can become a competent pilot relatively quickly if you specialize your training to get the maximum value out of it.

    So all I see in these videos are spaceships. Do you ever get to walk around or anything?
    Not as of yet -- right now, you ARE your spaceship. However, CCP has announced that characters will be able to walk in stations when docked in some future expansion (see the demo).

    Am I going to have to pay for these expansion packs? It sounds like there's been a lot of them.
    Nope -- CCP releases expansion packs for free, like any other patch. The game is also fairly cheap; after your 14 day free trial, you can activate the game for $20 which includes your first month of game time, with the standard $15 per month afterwards (less if you pay for multiple months in advance).

    So I'm ready to make my character. Got any tips?

    Yup. We're going to rip off the Goonswarm Wiki on this one, because their public character creation guides are fantastic.

    The primary thing to keep in mind is that you should toy around and read some of this content before committing to a character. It might be very beneficial to reroll your character after your two-week trial, once you have a better idea of what interests you in the game; on the other hand, rerolling your character after several months is a huge waste. So use your trial to test things out -- you've got three slots per account (can only train on one) so roll a few characters out, test the races, and read up. Once you're ready to commit to a character, choose your name and portrait carefully -- you'll be stuck with them for good.

    Basic Character Creation Guide
    Recommended Base Stat Builds



    Next post: Comments from WANG members about Eve.

    Madtown on
    Angelus Damelon - Eve
  • MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    If you're still not sure Eve's for you, or you just want some more stories from the WANG front, here's some comments from WANG members on the crazy shit you can do in Eve.

    titanbanner.jpg

    Hrin (hazywater on PA), our heroic Titan decloaker:
    46dp is a well known place to many of us. It is a crossroads, where Detorid meets Teneferis. One jump south from 46dp is 9-9, a station system held by BoB. North lies a wasteland until you reach KOS territory. East of 46dp is Detorid, specifically 77s. Goon territory. Bat country. 46dp is no man's land, a place of death and the supernatural -- ironically held by Red Alliance, currently.

    I was involved in a large fleet battle in 9-9 where I lost a battleship and cruiser for the glory of the Swarm. BoB won that battle with heavy losses, but it was a victory nonetheless. After the battle I was in 46dp with an interceptor -- a Claw to be precise. This particular Claw was named "Scromulan" in reference to WANG and Star Trek. I was 50 km off the gate with a group of frigates and cruisers holding there as both recon and skirmishers in preparation of another offensive. I was holding so far off the gate so I would have a perfect bead on any ships that came through and tried to cloak: to decloak them I needed to see them and align myself on them quickly. The gate flashes. Seeing this, I prime my MWD. Some cheap cruiser pops up 30 km away or so. I both scramble and ram him in an attempt to keep him from warping off.

    However, warping was not his intention.

    He pops a cyno shortly before vanishing in a cloud of debris. Shrike enters local. With a sigh, I align on some random planet. Shrike warps to a position 150km off the gate and Teamspeak goes apeshit. The majority of the gang jumps into 9-9, while I sit there watching the Titan. Streaks of white light clothe the Avatar now, pulsing and expanding. I warp off, not wishing to enjoy Shrike's hospitality. His offering fills the starfield behind me with a great white light. Making a U-turn at the planet, I warp back to the gate to find the wrecks of idiots scattered about. [Fleet Commander] Sesfan gives the order: "Shrike cloaked, find him." Easy words, but while a titan is large, space is much larger. As I MWD to where I think he was, a name pops on up on my overview. At first I think it's a BoB gang jumping in and I'm way out of position.

    But no, it was Shrike and he's WAY TOO GOD DAMN CLOSE TO ME.

    His Avatar appears next to me, his cloak rendered useless by my presence. Frantically, I make shot upon him while I burn off, not wishing to get smartbombed. Teamspeak goes to shit again. Seconds later interdictors surround the Avatar, dropping warp interdiction spheres. Local jumps as the fleet stationed in 77s joins us. BoB ships in 9-9 scramble to get to 46dp and get those interdictors off of Shrike, including motherships. The battle is massive. Every Goon and Goon ally who can be there is there, in whatever flies. Massive beams rip into Shrike's Avatar from dreadnaughts. Explosions ripple across the ship, from both missiles and friendly pilots who give their ships to Shrike in an attempt to block his path. Interceptors dogfight between the gate and Shrike, trying to destroy and protect the interdictors, respectively. The Goon support fleet forms a gauntlet between the gate and Shrike, daring any BoB ships to run it. BoB does run it and miniature battles rage with the titan as their backdrop, their prize.

    To a thunderous cacophony, the battle ends. A once proud and majestic buttplug is rendered salvageable; its pilot killed and the corpse taken as a trophy.


    Zoe Sedai (OptimusWang on PA) on small gang warfare:
    Huge fleets aren't for everybody, and they certainly aren't for me. Between the lag, the boredom, and the chances of getting hit with a Doomsday weapon, I was finally pushed to find a better form of PvP. What I found was small-gang raiding.

    Don't let the term fool you, this has no resemblance to a raid in WoW. There is nothing like jumping into a system with 100+ hostile ships, making a few lightning strikes to take out the soft targets, then burning halfway across the region with a few dozen pissed off pilots right on your tail. Where fleets are full of tediousness and boredom, good small-gang fights are a spike of adrenaline to the heart.

    When I flew with Anarchy Empire, we specialized in taking out superior numbers with a combination of strategy, teamwork, and coordination. Laying waste to the opposing groups, often with 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 odds when we flew as an alliance was the norm, usually doing so in the enemy's backyard. When flying with just a friend or two, we were constantly chipping away at their industrial backbone until their production ground to a halt. You could literally watch the same pilot come out once in a battleship, the next time in a battle cruiser, and every time after that in a cruiser or frig. At the end of our campaign against SMASH/Roadkill, they were down to 4 combat corps (we were originally outnumbered 4-to-1) and zero production corps. Zero.

    It's a David and Goliath fight, and damn does it feel good to knock the big guy down. Now go x up to shoot some people.


    Trevor Reznik (StormyWaters on PA) on working with Goonswarm on the front lines:
    I decided to play EVE after finding out about Merch Industrial and their relation to Goonswarm. I've played other MMOs in the past and done small gang/solo PKing, but I was very interested in actual territory holding that EVE offered, aka PvP with a purpose. Thus, I joined up, and have tried to PvP every day I'm online. You can see how successful I am by being far and away the #1 loser in Merch, with 81 deaths in 164 days played (.49 deaths/day).

    But in between dying, I've been having a lot of fun and helping to accomplish goals. I've aided in establishing forward bases in enemy systems, forcing them to fall back and defend what they thought was safe. I've been in small gangs of 5, trying to pick off solo targets, and in fleets of over 200, killing a Titan, blowing up a freighter full of goods, or destroying enemy capital ships that were sieging systems. Not every fight has been won, but enough have.

    Most importantly, we're on the underdog's side in this fight. When I first started playing, I was very worried that I was on the winning side, which at the time was in the process of steamrolling everything in its path. Two of the five largest alliances had been killed by the Goons in the time just before & after I joined, and I was worried another would quickly fall. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and BoB has proven to be a strong enough enemy to take systems from us. However, that's changing, and by our efforts we have the ability to forever alter the landscape of EVE. Merch pilots make up between 10 and 20 percent of many of the fleets, and our participation does matter, even if we're relative newbies to the game like me.


    Angelus Damelon (Madtown on PA, that's me) on Black Ops work in hostile territory:
    I'm relatively new to working with force recons, but I can already say it is my favorite style of PVP that I've experienced in Eve. While suicide gangs of frigates are a blast, and massive fleet ops are epic when lag subsides, Black Ops work is perfect for those who enjoy working in small gangs -- pop in like a ninja, wreck some poor miner's day, and then disappear again.

    The main goal of black ops work is to grief enemies in their homes, preventing their logistics and their moneymakers from earning money and moving materials that keep the rent paid and the lights on. You spend most of your time cloaked, lying in wait to catch a stray pilot -- and when the right situation hits, you decloak, shut down his weapons, lock him down, and plink away. By the time support can arrive, he's already dead and you've warped off to safety. Even if you're not actively doing anything, your mere presence in a system can lock it down as pilots are afraid to venture out of the station.

    What makes black ops work so exciting is the strategy involved. You're flying around in an essentially untanked, expensive-as-fuck cruiser, which means one screwup and your ship is going to melt. This means you pick your targets carefully, always cautious of potential traps. It means knowing when to abandon a potential kill, and when you can kill that bait ship before his support can arrive.


    Tasshik Soma (strangemusic on PA) on skill and role specialization:
    The idea of hooking up with WANG was what rekindled my interest in EVE after a completely shitty time in the Trial Account noobcorp. I've been active for five months, and in those months the main benefit to hanging out with MerchI and the Goons has been the establishment of goals and a sense that my actions aren't just a grind to get some cool-looking gear. I'd be aimlessly acquiring money for no reason if not for the progression of the Goonfleet/BoB conflict. There is a huge demand for tactically important ships like Interdictors, Covert Ops and the like: because of this demand, the training time invested in those ships doesn't seem pointless, and this makes the game infinitely more fun. For example, I hope to be flying with a small, dedicated Bomber group in a few weeks and am training for that specific role.

    In my opinion, WANG has a unique position in the whole Goonswarm structure: we can hop down to Teneferis to knock heads with rapacious BoB gangs and blow up their astronomically expensive Titan, then kick back and make some money and do other stuff whenever we feel like it. Again, this keeps the game from being boring or frustrating, and you can specialize in what you find interesting.


    Niobe Turantulov (Blutraserei on PA) on... shooting bitches, I guess:
    I signed up for Eve's 14 day trial back in February. I fiddled around with it and was fairly entertained. Once SpaceDrake (Riese Blecja) and I started talking, I moved promptly out to Hoshoun and he took me on a ratting run the next day -- where I ratted with him and he got me killed by a Nosdomi. Within that same week I was ratting in a Vexor with decent efficiency and mining at my own leisure. I'm pretty sure I broke my first 10-20mil ISK within that week. The WANG is an awesome fleet to fly with, and even if you aren't flying with them the corp chat is enough if you socialize well. I have yet to get my first 1v1 killmail, but I'm well on my way as I am currently flying a Tier 2 tank fit Myrmidon (ololrapestick).

    The game is versatile as hell, and joining a good corp is a very good idea. If you don't, chances are you will become a pubbie. Do not do this. Pubbies are fags and are shot on sight. The learning curve is steep. Chances are you and that shitty bicycle you rode in on will hit that mailbox at the bottom of the hill. But stick with it. The feeling of shooting and blowing shit up in PvP is fun as hell, and when you get to the point where you can shrug off a ship loss and then unwrap your other six pack of Battlecruisers and go right back to pushing someone's face in is when you and the game will harmonize.

    This game is not for faggots. This is PvP on the largest scale. This is a man's game. This is Eve.


    Gihgehls (Gihgehls on PA) on being a chill WANG:
    I've been in WANG for about 9 months, and I played Eve solo for about a year before that. I don't have too much time to play, but that works out okay for me because of a few things. First, the real-time skill training system means I make progress while I'm not online. Second, WANG is a great alliance with no playtime requirements. We are large enough that there is always something going on, yet small enough to still feel like a family. If I just want to jump on for a few minutes and kill a few NPCs, I can do that. If I want to stay on all weekend and take part of glorious operations with dozens of friendly ships, I can do that too.



    And finally..... MAEK POAST.

    Madtown on
    Angelus Damelon - Eve
  • ArchonArchon regular
    edited June 2007
    Nice shiny new OP :D

    Archon on
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  • StormyWatersStormyWaters Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Now somehow make sure mods don't move this out of G&T. In goon news, a -A- diplo is offering 1b isk for someone to write a paper for him. I intend to hit the bars tonight, then play EVE with Scavok leading a gang (Scavok = best FC voice) and at the same time write said paper on a laptop.

    StormyWaters on
  • MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    And to reply to a few things from the end of the last thread...
    Pmoney wrote: »
    Allrighty, I'll try to zip on over there as soon as I get home. What would you suggest I be learning right now? Anything in particular?

    Hard to say without knowing what your starting build was, but basic frigate skills never hurt. I'll grab a list and edit them in here in one sec.

    EDIT: Training Electronics to 3, Navigation to 2, Propulsion Jamming to 2 allows you to tackle someone with a warp scrambler (keep them from leaving a fight). Afterburner and MWD skills are also a plus -- you can look at the required skills for those items in-game as well. And if nothing else, training your basic learning skills until you figure out a more structured skill plan is always a good idea -- Learning skills make your other skills train faster, and the basic ones really don't take too long to get to level 2 or 3.
    Wombat!! wrote: »
    Thing is, in my experience in this game, and by the chat of the others in like, corp chat, 1.3 mil is like pocket change for most people who have been playing for over a month. That is why I have been asking, but if it is more than I am comprehending, than I WILL promptly shut up.

    A few mil isn't much for most people who have been playing for awhile (particularly in 0.0), but given that it sounds like you're not going to play past trial, I'm sure most people would rather toss that money to a newbie who's planning to keep playing.

    Plus some people manage to remain permanently poor, like Trev / Stormy. :P

    Madtown on
    Angelus Damelon - Eve
  • Wombat!!Wombat!! Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Thing is, I WAS planning to pay for like, 3 months, but now I am going to save my money for something else. huzzah huzzah no more me in the thread?

    Wombat!! on
  • StormyWatersStormyWaters Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Madtown wrote: »
    Plus some people manage to remain permanently poor, like Trev / Stormy. :P

    Oddly enough, I have money right now. Hooray exploration finally paying dividends!

    Seriously, a week ago I was starting to worry about the costs of paying for clones.

    StormyWaters on
  • HexcoreHexcore Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    One thing I have been wondering Does WANG take Corp Apps or do you funnel everyone into MERCHI?

    Hexcore on
  • scrivenerjonesscrivenerjones Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Hexcore wrote: »
    One thing I have been wondering Does WANG take Corp Apps or do you funnel everyone into MERCHI?

    the WANG alliance was created more for a joke than anything else; MRCHI is the only member corp except for a few one-man alt / comedy corps. unless you want to pay extravagant membership fees, in which case we could probably work something out.

    scrivenerjones on
  • StormyWatersStormyWaters Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You'd have to have a cool corp ticker like [ERECT] to join <WANG>. Just saying.

    StormyWaters on
  • MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You'd have to have a cool corp ticker like [ERECT] to join <WANG>. Just saying.

    ERECT is taken. :(

    I know because I tried making it, and had to fall back on a different comedy corp ticker instead.

    Madtown on
    Angelus Damelon - Eve
  • ScreamlineScreamline Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You'd have to have a cool corp ticker like [ERECT] to join <WANG>. Just saying.

    [EPIC] would be more fitting (DOUBLE MEANING WOT WOT)

    Screamline on
  • OptimusWangOptimusWang Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    It makes me sad in the pants that I'll never be the CEO of <EPIC>[WANG] :(

    OptimusWang on
  • BigDesBigDes Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Downloading the free trial now. Anything I should know?

    BigDes on
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  • hazywaterhazywater Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    The tutorial sucks, but is absolutely necessary.

    hazywater on
    Hrin - Eve Online
  • ScreamlineScreamline Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I didn't get in on the ground floor with this, but fuck it, I'mma write it anyway.

    One of my fondest memories in MRCHI happened several months ago while a gang of us were running a late night complex op in CVA controlled 0.0 space. We had just cleaned up a Sansha plex and had decided to run another plex in a nearby system. We had arrived in Hoshoun and secured our booty when an SOS came over the CVA Intel channel; a small group of ratters and miners was under attack by a fairly sizable gang of pirates, and it was in the next door system. The call went out for all the plex running MRCHIes to form up outside the station for immediate rescue. Seconds later, we were on our way to the gate and jumping into Mamet local.

    Like the fist of an angry god, we decended on the belt, wrecking the hulls of the offending pirates. Ship after ship, battleships, battlecruisers and the like vomited fire into the vacuum of space and were no more. Pods were obliterated as pilots were sent screaming back to their clone vats. When the spacedust settled, the MRCHI fleet floated victoriously among the asteroids and debris, frigates flitted from wreck to wreck collecting whatever loot was salvageable to add to our spoils.

    And then, our bloodlust sated and without missing a beat, we continued on to conquer the next complex...

    Screamline on
  • WildSpoonWildSpoon Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Man, I am soooo close to pullin the trigger on tryin this game out. But my main (only) draw to any mmo is PVP. So i guess i still have worries about how long it will take me (full time job, wife, kid) to get passed any boring pve bits and actually be a viable addition for pvp hawtness.

    WildSpoon on
    "Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."
    Rich Cook.

    PSN ID - WildSpoon
  • MadtownMadtown Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Screamline wrote: »
    awesome story

    If this is the night I'm thinking of, we didn't even form back up in Hosh. The call went out as we were on our way to the next plex, and we warped head-first into the fight. Which led to some hilarious Vent that was something like this:

    Scout: Alright warp in, there's only a couple of them, we can take them.
    FC: Alright, everyone warp to Scou-
    Scout: OH GOD THEY JUST WARPED IN MORE, CANCEL WARP CANCEL WARP
    FC: Half of the group is already in warp, it's too late to pull out now, EVERYONE WARP
    -- a few seconds hesitation --
    Scout: Oh, hey, we're winning. Everyone get over here.

    Madtown on
    Angelus Damelon - Eve
  • BarrakkethBarrakketh Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Madtown wrote: »
    A few mil isn't much for most people who have been playing for awhile (particularly in 0.0), but given that it sounds like you're not going to play past trial, I'm sure most people would rather toss that money to a newbie who's planning to keep playing.

    I got a 1m donation just by replying to someone in the rookie channel. Other than that I received no handouts during my trial and when it ended I had saved up about 27 million ISK after buying skills and a Rupture (including fittings). Sadly my skills were kind of crap to pilot it, and it was probably more ISK/hr to continue doing L1 missions with my Rifter than mess with the L2 missions. Still, I had Cruiser V training by the time it ended, so all was well.

    Dealing with the logistics of moving (having septic/well/electricity setup) has left me unable to play EVE, which is kind of sad because it's evident I've missed out on a lot of crazy shit. Still, reading about EVE is almost as fun as playing it :lol:

    Barrakketh on
    Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
  • HexcoreHexcore Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    You'd have to have a cool corp ticker like [ERECT] to join <WANG>. Just saying.

    So What about [ANILL] <Wang>?

    Hexcore on
  • GihgehlsGihgehls Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Eve is awesome. Just sayin.

    Gihgehls on
    PA-gihgehls-sig.jpg
  • Dark_SideDark_Side Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I don't know why you're all hating on BoB so much. I think they're top of the pops.

    Dark_Side on
  • StormyWatersStormyWaters Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Dark_Side wrote: »
    I don't know why you're all hating on BoB so much. I think their top of the pops.

    I'm glad they're around, otherwise there wouldn't be anyone to fight. MC can't fight off goons+russians+french alone, they don't have the support fleet for their caps, and that's the only threat besides BoB.

    StormyWaters on
  • BigDesBigDes Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Oh, by the way, I've never played an MMO before is EVE a bit of an odd one to start with?

    BigDes on
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  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2007
    Dark_Side wrote: »
    I don't know why you're all hating on BoB so much. I think their top of the pops.

    I'm glad they're around, otherwise there wouldn't be anyone to fight. MC can't fight off goons+russians+french alone, they don't have the support fleet for their caps, and that's the only threat besides BoB.

    MC wouldn't fight us because they are a fair and independent mercenary coalition. :wink:

    Monoxide on
  • deadteardeadtear Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    WildSpoon wrote: »
    Man, I am soooo close to pullin the trigger on tryin this game out. But my main (only) draw to any mmo is PVP. So i guess i still have worries about how long it will take me (full time job, wife, kid) to get passed any boring pve bits and actually be a viable addition for pvp hawtness.

    3 days tops if you dont mind flying frigates to their death over and over so that ships worth thousands of times what yours is worth are torn apart while you hold them there, in your "t1 newbie ship".

    deadtear on
  • leafleaf Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    I don't teach people very often, but the couple people I've shown around and helped with instruction, I had them flying into lowsec combat within a day on their own.

    First rule is, forget about dying. You're going to die. You will die. You're living, which means you're already dead. And don't get attached to your shiny new ship, that's dead along with you.

    That said, new players can be nasty little things to contend with. You do have to be smart about picking your fights, but the people I helped told me how they were pirating and ransoming players that were far older and supposedly more experienced than they were.

    Don't sell new characters short - unlike wow where you're basically a kitten when you start, here you have the tools and ability to be a serious issue to a year old player in a battleship. You won't be the main DPS dealer, but you can be the one that tackles their ship which is unable to hit you, while two or three of your buddies warp to you and lay down some death.

    edit: yeah, what deadtear said.

    If you go to SP, I have gallente bpo's of maulus/incursus and if I don't get popped today, a catalyst and rifter bpo as well.

    leaf on
    newsig-notweed.jpg
  • HarshLanguageHarshLanguage Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    BigDes wrote: »
    Oh, by the way, I've never played an MMO before is EVE a bit of an odd one to start with?

    EVE is very much unlike other MMOs, so don't worry about it.

    HarshLanguage on
    QSwearing_trans_smooth_small.gif
    > turn on light

    Good start to the day. Pity it's going to be the worst one of your life. The light is now on.
  • BigDesBigDes Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    BigDes wrote: »
    Oh, by the way, I've never played an MMO before is EVE a bit of an odd one to start with?

    EVE is very much unlike other MMOs, so don't worry about it.

    Rockin'.

    BigDes on
    steam_sig.png
  • PsykmoePsykmoe Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    And WANG even tolerates you if you're a completely useless faggot like myself 8-)

    Psykmoe on
  • StormyWatersStormyWaters Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Psykmoe wrote: »
    And WANG even tolerates you if you're a completely useless faggot like myself 8-)

    you're in wang?

    ooooh man got you good

    StormyWaters on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Des is playing Eve?!

    ONE OF US, ONE OF US

    darleysam on
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  • BlutrasereiBlutraserei Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Yeah, that's me, I shoot bitches....



    Though not as often as I'd like :cry:

    Blutraserei on
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  • SonelanSonelan Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Someone needs to tell an interesting story about me!

    Sonelan on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • BarrakkethBarrakketh Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Sonelan wrote: »
    Someone needs to tell an interesting story about me!

    Can it involve autopilot and a hauler, or was that someone else? :P

    Barrakketh on
    Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
  • BlutrasereiBlutraserei Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Sonelan wrote: »
    Someone needs to tell an interesting story about me!




    Sonelon sucks.



    The End.

    Blutraserei on
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  • RaereRaere Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Sonelan wrote: »
    Someone needs to tell an interesting story about me!

    I wanted to go to the New Eden system to see the EVE gate, and not only did it turn out to be nothing but a shitty background, but my cruiser got ganked in the process. Yeah, that's the last time I go visit a 'landmark' in an MMO.

    Raere on
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  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited June 2007
    oooh, i posted some stories in an old Eve thread, when i was a bit more active with Synergy/IRON. You can drop one of those into the front if you like (i'll go find them)

    edit: actually no, disregard that. I need to get back in and do something worthy of a story again.

    darleysam on
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  • ScreamlineScreamline Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    Madtown wrote: »
    Screamline wrote: »
    awesome story

    If this is the night I'm thinking of, we didn't even form back up in Hosh. The call went out as we were on our way to the next plex, and we warped head-first into the fight. Which led to some hilarious Vent that was something like this:

    Scout: Alright warp in, there's only a couple of them, we can take them.
    FC: Alright, everyone warp to Scou-
    Scout: OH GOD THEY JUST WARPED IN MORE, CANCEL WARP CANCEL WARP
    FC: Half of the group is already in warp, it's too late to pull out now, EVERYONE WARP
    -- a few seconds hesitation --
    Scout: Oh, hey, we're winning. Everyone get over here.

    Sounds about right. My memory is a little hazy at the moment. It may or may not have something to do with the alcohol I consumed at an office party.

    Screamline on
  • torsionRextorsionRex Registered User regular
    edited June 2007
    One of the best things about Eve for me, is the fact that even with the low amount of playtime i get, i can still hop on, x up, and smash (or be smashed). plus, it's the only source in the known universe for the magic of Tolon...

    Join up, do some goonops, and you'll experience that magic first-hand.

    torsionRex on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
This discussion has been closed.