This post has taken far longer to write then I intended. It turns out that changing jobs takes up a lot of your time. a consequence of this is that I have had less time than expected for EVE. However I have had some fights and have been doing research into the AT as this is something that i would like to participate in this year.
What to fly?
I have decided to focus on flying larger ships for the meantime. Why? Greater engageabillty and I haven't really done it before. Arianne has over 80mill skillpoints but has mostly flown frigs for over 5 years, I feel that it is time for a change. I have a tendency in EVE to do what I feel comfortable with. I pick a ship and fly it until I know exactly what it can do and how to fly it and win nearly all the time. The best pilots that I know are willing to take risks, this is something that I want to start doing more.
The ships that I've picked are the Vexor, Myrm and the Cyclone and progressing to the VNI, Stratios and the Gila. My reasoning is that I have rarely flown with drone boats and would like to have a greater understanding of them, the Vexor is a great little ship and can be fitted up relatively cheaply. The current fit I have is hull tanked but I will try a couple of other fits when I've lost a few of these. I also have picked the Myrm as well as I've watched quite a few streamers have a lot of fun with this fighting against small gangs, it also enables me to try out different drone combinations. The cyclone in a way is the odd one out, however I have always enjoyed missile ships so decided why not?
And FIGHT!
I've been running some of the Gurista sites, partly to get some fights, partly out of boredom. I've had two fights that resulted in Killmails.
Fight 1
https://zkillboard.com/kill/52709470/
https://zkillboard.com/kill/52709476/
Tactic: I saw the two Vexors arrive on short scan and debated whether to take the fight. As this was my first time out in the Cyclone I thought Fuck it why not? My shields were almost at full and I had a full amount of cap boosters, I switched to Nova missiles and waited for them to land. I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to take them both down but wanted to see how I would hold up. I focused on one of the Vexors, and was silently kicking myself for not bringing a Blue pill. They were both Disruptor fit and so I had full range control, which I did not exercise well. However one of them went down before me so I was satisfied.
Learning points:
1. The additional tank that the Invuln gives is approx 3/3.5k, I think that in this case the microjump drive would have been far more beneficial, I could have killed the first Vexor and GTFO.
2. Always, always have drugs :P
3. Implants- I have been doing a lot of shopping recently and need to use optimised implants, here I was in a Snake set but with gunnery implants so not very helpful.
4. I am still trying t force myself into only using hotkeys, under pressure I tend to revert back to using my mouse. I want to stop.
Fight 2
https://zkillboard.com/kill/52709834/
Tactic: So I started this fight at range which was not so good for me as I was unable to use my neuts and was instantly losing around 100 dps. Still I launched drones and decided to go for it. I am still earning which drones are right for which situation and annoyingly enough I can't remember which ones I used. However not long after sending my drones to attack I was jammed out. Bastard had brought ECM drones. I took this as an opportunity to test out my tank (yeah once again I didn't have drugs). I also foolishly did not even think if using my mircojump drive. Ah well, the Brutix died immediately afterwards by a small gang so I got on the killmail.
Learning points:
1. BRING DRUGS
2. Actually use mods to get away.
3. Links- the dirty word (to some), this fit tanks brilliantly with links and Exile, when deciding too fly it this was one of the points that I liked about it. I have a link pilot set up I need to use her.
Misc
I've been playing around in a dual web no scram Merlin, nothing very high tech, but some good fun. I've got a kitey Tristan fitted out which i'm going to have a go with next.
Alliance Tournament
One of my goals for this year is to take part in the AT, I've always watched it and really appreciated all the skill and theorycrafting that goes into it. I've started watching some of last years AT footage and looking at the different compositions that are commonly used with the aim of improving my knowledge about what is needed from a composition.
PLANS
1. More fleets, hopefully now that I'm settling into my new job I will have more time for these.
2. Move my drugs to where I'#m staging now. I have a few that I've bought but I need more.
3. Use my link alt
4. Continue with theorycrafting, both for solo fits as well as fleet and AT.
5. Hotkeys- Use them and possibly reset them up.
6. Don't be a dumbarse, in the fight with the Brutix I should have got out. Admittedly I haven't been playing much and need to get back into EVE but mistakes like that are just frustrating.
7. Learn more abut which drones for which situation, both by flying and be reading abuot them.
8. Start recording fights
9. Possibly set up a new missile based clone or crystals?
Sunday 27 March 2016
Monday 15 February 2016
#1
A little over a week ago I decided to return to EVE. Why? Quite simply I missed it. I only stopped playing due to a combination of lack of time and poor internet connection. One of those is fixed and the other is on the way to being so.
Prior to taking a hiatus I had been toying with the idea of both flying larger ships and doing more small gang stuff. As well as changing corporations, I love SKRMR but I've spent most of my EVE career flying in loosely organised corps and I felt that to maintain my interest and motivation to play I needed something new. So here I am in The Tuskers. I've also decided to take notes on what I'm doing, any good piloting or mistakes that I make as well as goals that I have. I always reflect on fights and writing it up helps me understand further any improvements I need to make.
So here are notes on Day 1:
Fight the first:
https://zkillboard.com/kill/51975644/
Not very exciting. After playing around with the new camera and then turning it off I found this guy at a plex, two shots and he was dead. Still it was comforting to get a kill.
Learning points: I need to relearn and sort out my hotkeys, I have a Razer Widow keyboard and in retrospect it wasn't the greatest choice as it is really big and I have small hands so I struggle to use hotkeys. Using hotkeys definitely is faster than using the mouse so it is something that I need to persist with (or buy another keyboard)
Fleet time:
I was a little nervous before going on this fleet as it was my first proper fleet for over a year. And as I realise in retrospect the largest well organised fleet that I had ever probably been on, my previous experience of fleets mostly consisted of flying a maulus on BRAVE fleets with an alt prior to their implosion, the rag tag fleets run by Peri in R1FTA and a few better organised ones run by Patrick.
Anyway on Friday I swallowed my anxiety and we headed off and found....very little. Still it was a good learning experience for me. I had a couple of fuck ups but on the whole enjoyed myself.
Learning points: At some point early in the fleet a new destination was set, I and a couple of other fleet members had our autopilot set to prefer lower sec status as oppose to prefer shortest route, I realised this quickly as 90% of the fleet left system whilst I was in warp to a gate and changed my settings. I'm happy that I picked up on this quickly.
During fights I occasionally got separated from the rest of the fleet, this is totally my screw up, I am used to either flying support (and being left to my own devices) or just in fleets where people either anchor on FC or do their own thing. Much as I am frustrated with my small screw up I have learned from it and will improve for next time. Use of the tactical overlay really helped me as the evening progressed.
Finally I just need to play more, the more I play the better I am at relaying instruction whilst ensuring the I have enough cap, using the right ammo etc,etc. This was my first evening playing EVE since September, and much as I could have flown better in the fleet I will take onboard my screw ups and hopefully not make them again :)
Post fleet fun:
After dying to high sec irritants I, much to my surprise, awoke in Skarkon. Apparently I had never changed my home station. I first of all changed my home station to Das and then took out one of the inteceptors that I had left there.
Side note: all these interceptors were named some variant of Cake in honour of the great Crake Gaterau and paid for by his legacy after his first visit to Doomheim.
I plotted a short route through null, going through systems wher there had been one or two kills in the last hour. I started to chase an atron which led me into this instalocking keres plus gatecamp.
https://zkillboard.com/kill/51983012/
Learning points: Whilst checking for number of kills via the ingame map is great for finding a direction to fly, checking the killboards for kills is also important and would have told me that there was a camp worth avoiding in that system.
I ended my evening flying around my old 10-15 regular path in a rail Merlin. I found very little to fight. A random guy in a arty Thrasher wanted to fight me and called me a loser for not doing so but I couldn't see any viable chance of winning the fight. My fit did lowish dps and had minimal tank, my aim was to kite out from damage and that won't work against arties. I took a fight against an executioner and was whittling down his tank but he managed to leave the fight in half hull. At this point tired I docked for the night.
Learning points: I should have carried different times of ammo, with Javelin I might have managed to get under the guns of the Thrasher and a merlin is a cheap enough ship to risk throwing away. Range control, I was a little over cautious in the fight against the executioner, hence him being able to warp away, I should have had full range dictation with two webs and I should've held him. Fatigue and a few beers at this point didn't help either.
PLANS:
1.Buy more ships and set up my base in Das, I want to bring some drone boats as I've never really flown them before and possibly focus on rocket/missile ships as well.
2. Learn about the new ships-command dessies and faction ewar frigs.
3. Go on and take out fleets. I do not think that I would be comfortable leading a large fleet, but a 3-4 gang is a good start.
4. Kill all the things. I fight at my best when I fly often. My time is still somewhat limited by commuting but I aim to be in game as much as possible.
5. Reflect and write up on interesting things that happen.
Anyone who has read through my wall of text is welcome to comment with further suggestions.
Thanks for reading,
Ari
Prior to taking a hiatus I had been toying with the idea of both flying larger ships and doing more small gang stuff. As well as changing corporations, I love SKRMR but I've spent most of my EVE career flying in loosely organised corps and I felt that to maintain my interest and motivation to play I needed something new. So here I am in The Tuskers. I've also decided to take notes on what I'm doing, any good piloting or mistakes that I make as well as goals that I have. I always reflect on fights and writing it up helps me understand further any improvements I need to make.
So here are notes on Day 1:
Fight the first:
https://zkillboard.com/kill/51975644/
Not very exciting. After playing around with the new camera and then turning it off I found this guy at a plex, two shots and he was dead. Still it was comforting to get a kill.
Learning points: I need to relearn and sort out my hotkeys, I have a Razer Widow keyboard and in retrospect it wasn't the greatest choice as it is really big and I have small hands so I struggle to use hotkeys. Using hotkeys definitely is faster than using the mouse so it is something that I need to persist with (or buy another keyboard)
Fleet time:
I was a little nervous before going on this fleet as it was my first proper fleet for over a year. And as I realise in retrospect the largest well organised fleet that I had ever probably been on, my previous experience of fleets mostly consisted of flying a maulus on BRAVE fleets with an alt prior to their implosion, the rag tag fleets run by Peri in R1FTA and a few better organised ones run by Patrick.
Anyway on Friday I swallowed my anxiety and we headed off and found....very little. Still it was a good learning experience for me. I had a couple of fuck ups but on the whole enjoyed myself.
Learning points: At some point early in the fleet a new destination was set, I and a couple of other fleet members had our autopilot set to prefer lower sec status as oppose to prefer shortest route, I realised this quickly as 90% of the fleet left system whilst I was in warp to a gate and changed my settings. I'm happy that I picked up on this quickly.
During fights I occasionally got separated from the rest of the fleet, this is totally my screw up, I am used to either flying support (and being left to my own devices) or just in fleets where people either anchor on FC or do their own thing. Much as I am frustrated with my small screw up I have learned from it and will improve for next time. Use of the tactical overlay really helped me as the evening progressed.
Finally I just need to play more, the more I play the better I am at relaying instruction whilst ensuring the I have enough cap, using the right ammo etc,etc. This was my first evening playing EVE since September, and much as I could have flown better in the fleet I will take onboard my screw ups and hopefully not make them again :)
Post fleet fun:
After dying to high sec irritants I, much to my surprise, awoke in Skarkon. Apparently I had never changed my home station. I first of all changed my home station to Das and then took out one of the inteceptors that I had left there.
Side note: all these interceptors were named some variant of Cake in honour of the great Crake Gaterau and paid for by his legacy after his first visit to Doomheim.
I plotted a short route through null, going through systems wher there had been one or two kills in the last hour. I started to chase an atron which led me into this instalocking keres plus gatecamp.
https://zkillboard.com/kill/51983012/
Learning points: Whilst checking for number of kills via the ingame map is great for finding a direction to fly, checking the killboards for kills is also important and would have told me that there was a camp worth avoiding in that system.
I ended my evening flying around my old 10-15 regular path in a rail Merlin. I found very little to fight. A random guy in a arty Thrasher wanted to fight me and called me a loser for not doing so but I couldn't see any viable chance of winning the fight. My fit did lowish dps and had minimal tank, my aim was to kite out from damage and that won't work against arties. I took a fight against an executioner and was whittling down his tank but he managed to leave the fight in half hull. At this point tired I docked for the night.
Learning points: I should have carried different times of ammo, with Javelin I might have managed to get under the guns of the Thrasher and a merlin is a cheap enough ship to risk throwing away. Range control, I was a little over cautious in the fight against the executioner, hence him being able to warp away, I should have had full range dictation with two webs and I should've held him. Fatigue and a few beers at this point didn't help either.
PLANS:
1.Buy more ships and set up my base in Das, I want to bring some drone boats as I've never really flown them before and possibly focus on rocket/missile ships as well.
2. Learn about the new ships-command dessies and faction ewar frigs.
3. Go on and take out fleets. I do not think that I would be comfortable leading a large fleet, but a 3-4 gang is a good start.
4. Kill all the things. I fight at my best when I fly often. My time is still somewhat limited by commuting but I aim to be in game as much as possible.
5. Reflect and write up on interesting things that happen.
Anyone who has read through my wall of text is welcome to comment with further suggestions.
Thanks for reading,
Ari
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