Saturday, March 29, 2014

Someone Your Own Size



War is a bitch.  I have a long time friend in Eve who claims that highsec wars are the main driving factor thats holding back the game's growth.  I don't know if I'd be that dramatic about it myself.  I do have to agree that a fat lot of the guys who participate in highsec wardecs are the same type of players who will say your crying and beg for more tears if you try to negotiate an end to the war. They simply don't purport themselves with the same nobility and regal fibre as me and my piratical kin.  Now I don't mean men like Psychotic Monk, or Cannibal Kane who do bring unrivaled class and professionalism to the stars when I say this.  No, I mean the men who wardec anything that undocks from the SOE epic arc station and then proceeds to hellcamp Jita, Amarr or Rens with neutral logi and all manner of boorish tactics.  I'm sure you're familiar.  I do not say all this to bash on the highsec griefer's style of life of course, or even to boast about lowsec superiority.  I say all this to introduce us to our next victims.

When 7-2 began wardeccing the locals in our new deployment region with the intent to fight under gate guns a few other groups joined in.  Either hired mercenaries who decced us seperately or opportunistic carrion who hopped on the same dec as allies.  I believe our friends were of the latter.  They were from a corp named S-o-S and at the time they were allianceless.  After my run in with the group of wartargets who crashed my Kronos execution I went on a bit of a research binge to go after the bastards.  I spent the better part of a Saturday perusing Evewho and compiling a list of possible bogeys, yet by the time I was done the men responsible for my flub had largely logged off.  Bastards.  That left me and my friends from S-o-S.  A few quick locators later and I had eyes on.  My alt followed a small frigate fleet of theirs through lowsec a few jumps and then into Stacmon.  There they sat and warped from gate to gate catching Brave Newbies who didn't know any better and violencing them with a prejudice.  I wasn't particularly impressed.  Now don't get me wrong I will gladly shoot a Brave Newbie Venture in lowsec just as quickly as the next guy.  But I also like to think there is more... ugh I hate to say honour but I guess that's the best word; more honour in a lowsec slaughter than there is in deccing a corp known for being newbs (its in their name dammit), and camping the choke point to their home system just to kill a few Hoarders with 236 Tritanium and 58 Small Tungsten charges in the hold.

So I came up with my own boorish plan.  It was rather obvious that they had scouts in the surrounding systems and when a WT showed up in local somewhere they'd all swarm the gate and hit him with sticks after he jumped.  Well, all I needed was an anti-frig Vexor (I can buy that), a WT symbol (got that), and some piss and vinegar (got that too).  It was rather impressive really, how quickly they moved to my gate once I jumped into the neighboring system.  They clearly had done this before.  I jumped into Stacmon, my imaginary long blonde hair billowing in the wind behind me.  There they sat, eager and grinning like a bundle of half-witted Cheshire cats waiting to eat their mouse.  And I'd like to think I played the part well. I held cloak for as long as I could and decloaked burning back to the gate Feigning Disorder until they all engaged.

Cry havoc. Said he who fought chaos with chaos, and let slip the dogs of war.

Small neutron blasters spooled up and a flight of angry Hobgoblins flew forth.  Dual webs and a solid scram held down my unfortunate colleagues whilst I pummeled them into the dirt.  They simply didn't stand a chance.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A New World


Jumping into Teon I knew what was going to happen.  I paid off the Concord guy just like I was supposed to.  I knew my record now said I was a reformed and forgiven scoundrel welcomed back into high society.  Still I winced a bit, expecting the warning lights and screaming officers who always demand I leave or be shot down.  Yet the only sound that fell upon my ears was silence; disturbing, peaceful silence.  So I went on my way.

For years the only times I had intentionally set foot in highsec with Damay was in a gank Thrasher/Catalyst.  Times change however and here I was.  A few wardecs and a need for new scenery made up my mind. Before I knew it I was revoking my badge of -10 honor for a few hundred million isk and some metal trinkets.

The goal was, at first, to find a shiny mission ship and taunt it with my lowly Arbitrator until it decided to hit me.  Well it didn't take too long for someone to oblige.  I convo'd the poor individual and asked a fair ransom for the safe release of their vessel.  The exchange went like this:


[15:11:22] EVE System > Channel MOTD: This is a Ransom. Turn off all mods and stop your ship. Terms for your release will be discussed momentarily.
[21:14:47] Gadgett Hackwrench > ?
[21:14:52] Damay Aprionati > this is a ransom
[21:15:00] Damay Aprionati > 2.5billion and ill let you go
[21:15:05] Gadgett Hackwrench > wut?
[21:15:10] Gadgett Hackwrench > fu
[21:15:15] Gadgett Hackwrench > mi shit costs less
[21:15:18] Gadgett Hackwrench > *my
[21:15:20] Damay Aprionati > alright
[21:15:30] Damay Aprionati > lets negotiate
[21:15:42] Gadgett Hackwrench > but i'll set reward for u, at2.5 billion
[21:16:31] Damay Aprionati > hows about this
[21:16:34] Damay Aprionati > ill scan your ship
[21:16:44] Damay Aprionati > and give you a fair ransom price
[21:17:02] Gadgett Hackwrench > have 100kk
[21:17:12] Gadgett Hackwrench > so u can scan whatever u want
[21:17:26] Damay Aprionati > all you have is 100k isk?
[21:17:33] Gadgett Hackwrench > yeap
[21:17:40] Gadgett Hackwrench > at this mient
[21:17:44] Gadgett Hackwrench > moment
[21:18:27] Damay Aprionati > very well
[21:18:43] Gadgett Hackwrench > ok
[21:18:57] Gadgett Hackwrench > 2.5 billion for your head)
[21:19:00] Gadgett Hackwrench > have this)
[21:19:07] Gadgett Hackwrench > it will be funny)
[21:20:13] Damay Aprionati > Pith B-Type X-Large Shield Booster
[21:20:16] Damay Aprionati > dropped
[21:21:29] Gadgett Hackwrench > just enjoy the game for 2 days)
[21:21:41] Gadgett Hackwrench > and i'll set reward) it's not hard for me
[21:21:45] Damay Aprionati > well sir this is not my first rodeo
[21:21:59] Gadgett Hackwrench > and no my first
[21:22:10] Gadgett Hackwrench > i like to fuck guys like u
[21:22:14] Gadgett Hackwrench > u cfme
[21:22:19] Damay Aprionati > im sorry for you to have lost the ship that way
[21:22:21] Gadgett Hackwrench > sole my loot
[21:22:25] Gadgett Hackwrench > *stole
[21:22:31] Gadgett Hackwrench > no
[21:22:33] Damay Aprionati > id have much rather come to an agreement
[21:22:46] Gadgett Hackwrench > i'll sorry u only when u die)
[21:23:15] Gadgett Hackwrench > and i will be a good price for idiot like u
[21:23:20] Gadgett Hackwrench > *it
[21:23:40] Damay Aprionati > no need for name calling
[21:23:48] Damay Aprionati > we fought, i offered ransom and you lost
[21:24:25] Gadgett Hackwrench > do u know what happens with guys like u in real life?
[21:24:35] Damay Aprionati > no i honestly dont?
[21:24:39] Damay Aprionati > care to inform me
[21:24:48] Gadgett Hackwrench > so, i'll make your game funny here
[21:25:37] Damay Aprionati > im not sure i understand how your going to do that
[21:25:53] Damay Aprionati > nor do i understand what you think will come of me in real life?
[21:26:40] Gadgett Hackwrench > many peole will like to get money from ur headhunt)
[21:26:54] Gadgett Hackwrench > so... fuck off and enjoy
[21:27:02] Damay Aprionati > what does that have to do with my real life?
[21:27:21] Damay Aprionati > damnit

Sadly, OP has not delivered.

After my initial success I spent another few days popping MTU's and harassing locals to no avail.  Then I found it, a Kronos.  Oh this beautiful Kronos was simply begging to die in a fire.  I scanned it out with my alt and they had all sorts of shinies fitted and they used T1 drones and had a few mission boat losses and were unnamed and... Refusing to shoot me.  Balls.  I was determined though, so when they warped to station I followed, when they docked I waited, and when they undocked I moved closer.  And when they shot me I FREAKED the fuck out.

I flew in close, got my orbit straight and went to work on the drones.  Web, scram and TD's light up and turn off their MJD cycle.  I ask on comms the whole while how big of a drone bay I was dealing with and begging for all the luck the mighty Pirate Gods could grant me.  The Yars on High had forsaken me though.  I hadn't seen a single one of our wartargets yet since the start of the conflict, yet here they all came now as the last drone of the Marauder popped.  3 T3's, a Guardian, a Curse and some other not so fun ships were here for me.  I had to run before they closed to point range, cursing the whole way.  The Kronos docked of course and went away.

I wanted blood from these damn deccers now, I was done with small fries for the time being....

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

A History: Part One


I'm bad at blogging. I mean I like writing and stuff but I'm the worst at actually sitting down and putting out my thoughts.  Maybe I'll be able to keep up with it this time, I know I'd love to, but that's precisely what I think every time I decide I want to get this project started again.  We'll see I guess.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the player stories aspect to EVE.  You know, the whole first decade book of stories CCP compiled?  The various nefarious deeds committed by the likes of Haargoth Agamar/Mittens, Helicity Boson, m0o corp and others.  Even the random snippets of story that you hear about talking to folks and perusing forums and blogs.  Like Psychotic Monk's musings on his own brand of piracy: link.  

So I figured I would chronicle Damay's life in New Eden here.  I fully expect this to be a wall of text that few but myself would want to read but, at least it will be here for me if I ever want to reminisce.  TL;DR: Damay was born, he killed things.

I found EVE in real life between my junior and senior years of high school.  It was a banner add on LineRider or something and I was sitting alone in a hotel room.  Turns out my girlfriend's mom didnt approve of me spend then night in the same room with my now ex (lame right?).  I click on it and started going through the EVE Online website which, circa 2009, pretty much just consisted of the forums, chronicles and a wiki.  I remember reading about pirates on the wiki and being amazed by this guy's story of how his presence.  How a red skull on the overview could make men shudder and how a single pirate sitting on the undock of a station could lock the whole bitch down.  I was hooked.  I started up my account and was astounded by how complex everything was  (I also definitely spent the first few weeks auto-piloting everywhere because I didn't realize you could warp to zero).  Nevertheless I did the tutorial missions and on the way heard about Faction Warfare.  I thought to myself, that would be a great way to learn the PvP aspect to this game before I embark on my epic piratical crusade.  So naturally the first corp I joined was a highsec, carebear, ANTI-PIRATE corp. Sigh.  I don't know why I did it.  To be honest I guess I was drawn in by the minnie RP shit they had in their corp info and the fact that they accepted newbies.  I sent in my humble app and within the hour I was in my first corp.  Me, with my tiny little Burst, in a real EVE corp.  Fucking.  Badass. 

My time in Adventurers was rather short.  Ten days total I believe.  I saw my first Stabber when I first joined and went on a level 2 mission with a group of the guys and thinking there's no way I'll ever be able to fly one of those, that's so cool!  The honeymoon didn't last long of course and I started daydreaming about being a pirate again.  I went out to lowsec to shoot rats and maybe get my chance to be a big bad piwate.  The trip was short-lived.  I saw the wolf on my overview and it seemed like a mere second before I was in my pod.   It was finally time to try out FW and learn the trade of slaughter from professionals!  I stayed for a day.  However, my first kill was had in that day! Glorious sweatbreaking, hand shaking killing.  To be honest I don't remember much about it besides feeling lost out in lowsec after the fleet disbanded.

I returned to Adventurers for another short stay during which a man by the name of White Voodoo took me under his wing and taught me a whole hell of a lot about the game.  We became and still are good RL friends to this day.  A couple days after my return, Voodoo invited me to join him in his small corp of friends from the meatspace.  I was honored.

And so my time in The Scarlet Inquisition began.  I learned soooo much about the basics of EVE during my time there.  Yet again my time there was short though I may have stayed longer if real life didn't get in the way of the other three members, Voodoo included.

Not knowing where else to go I decided to start my own corp, Kel' ein.  The name was a reference to The Faded Sun Trilogy by C. J. Cherryh if you were wondering.  We had maybe 8-10 members total and we were baaaaa-ad.  Typical newbish "We are a small group of friends who want to someday own space in lowsec and even further down the road in null!" type corp.  Only one of us had any substantial amount of SP and it wasn't even me.  Either way we did alright for ourselves I guess, mining ops, missioning, roaming (read dying in fires), etc.  Until the day we got wardecced o.0 AHHH!

Dammit all though if we didn't do our best to fight back against The humbleless Crew.  We even got two kills that we were entirely too proud of.  Ohhhh man.  Were we stoked.  At some point the CEO of that corp contacted me and he informed us that we had balls for a nublet corp, resulting in an enormously swelled ego.  But alas we were being crushed by the war and felt we needed to do something different.  Along the way we tried to kill a Harbinger that belonged to an anti-pirate group in the Molden Heath region.  We didn't find out it belonged to anti-pirates until they dropped a heavy freakin' BC fleet on our silly little heads.  In true Butterfly Effect Trailer fashion wound up befriending The Black Dragon Elite after a bit of a chat and when we found our corp to be in a tight spot they offered us shelter with them.

Anti-Pirates in a corp with "Elite" in the name we became!  And lo, did our egos swell once more.