Form up to fight!

The waiting is the hardest part.

Glorious Victory

Killing the PNQY-Y station was awesome.

Missing the Titan kill by seconds was a bummer. Saved by logoffski.

We brought the numbers to break IT. I can't believe it. I guess it is good to have BFFs. For such a huge Alliance, IT didn't field the numbers we expected. Thanks, guys!

To all the pilots at the fight from both sides, GF!

Fountain fun

We really like Unicorns

I love my corp.

I love my Alliance.

Merry Christmas, Fountain from TEST Hates Youtube on Vimeo.

I'm playing a ton of EVE, and it is good. Thanks to CCP's Xmas present, I am now enjoying Logistics 5 and Recon 5. Lachesis, Falcon, Curse, Guardian, and Basilisk. Mmmm, good.

CCP chooses excellence

I was happy to see that the Incursion release will be delayed, not because I don't want it to come out soon, but because it shows a new commitment to "polish" by CCP.  While I have always enjoyed CCP's commitment to cranking out new content, I also really want that content to be of maximum quality.  Blizzard is known for glacial content releases coupled with maximum polish.  This approach has worked out well for them, and I encourage CCP to take the time to do their releases well!

 

Given that EVE is already unrivaled in MMO legendary status (can you say giant fleet battles and single shard universe?), CCP will benefit greatly from making sure that all new content is mindblowingly good.  Apocrypha was like that, and I am sure they have great things coming down the pipe beyond Incarna!

 

The Dominion and Tyrannis releases suffered from lack of polish, but CCP seems capable of learning from the past and pushing forward.  We have the commitment (the 18 months meme) to have them re-address some broken systems after Incarna.  I am excited to see where this leads over the next few years.

 

I prefer to make money with Industry and spend time shooting stuff in nullsec which is "sandbox" material.  While I am not focused on PVE content, I appreciate that the Incursion content will be enjoyed by many players with a different style of gameplay.  The more players that are happy, the more subs help pay for even better content.  Hopefully, CCP will take advantage of multi-core processing at some point to enable an exponential increase in lag-free fleet size!

 

To sum it up:

 

Polish + Brilliant Sandbox + reworking older broken systems = best MMO ever. 

 

Work hard and make us proud, CCP Vikings!

 

 

Taranis love

Last night we had a fun roam chasing reds in Pure Blind. In one engagement, my Taranis got targeted by a fistful of Zealots and Vagabonds. Luckily they were out of scram or web range. I was able to punch the MWD while aligning to a planet. Warping out with a sliver of structure feels so good!

Having lost T1 frigates in similar circumstances, the increased survivability with a T2 frig is significant. The Taranis in particular does well with a Damage Control tank plus speed. I prefer the dual prop fitting, but was carrying a web last night to be more helpful to the gang. Given the proliferation of HACS in 0.0, the range of initial engagement is usually past scram reach. When I grab tackle I expect to be hit with a web, but it often doesn't matter because my gang will be laying down serious hurt soon after!

I can't wait for the next fight!

(Pic link grabbed from fleet chat after lemming behavior, I am unable to credit maker, please drop me a comment if you know who made it.)

Escalation!

CCP "fixed" the IT angle by going back and killing all other TCU's placed before downtime by attacks on non-IT alliances. However, TEST has not forgotten the sting of being stymied in liberating many systems from evil Delve clowns.



First, TEST wardecced the CCP Engineering Alliance.

Next we executed a brilliant counter attack!

T20 Redux!

CCP has yet again betrayed inside ties to BOB/IT by removing 14 TCUs onlined by TEST Alliance Please Ignore in Delve.

The official response was that CCP considered onlining TCUs before the update downtime to be an exploit. The problem is that TCUs were also onlined and reportedly allowed to remain in multiple other systems throughout New Eden. (not yet verified, but may include: K76A-3, G-73MR, 5KG-PY, H-29TM, NH-IX6.)

This is yet another example of CCP favoritism towards IT. To disable some TCUs as an exploit while letting others progress is concerning. Showing another round of IT favoritism after the crushing T20 debacle is serious business!

Maybe in addition to the CSM (placed after the T20 incident to restore trust), we need a player run organization, "Shouldn't Help IT, CCP" to restore trust and a level playing field for all.

Zoom!

Enjoying a killer Drake fleet!

Lag be damned!

Here's a video with some big Cloud Ring fleet action from an Alliance mate:



Posted before the Drake nerf. (Many scimitars were harmed with the making of this movie.)

Can't buy me love.

Massively recapped the current forum drama about EVE and microtransactions. Apparently, this is a scary thing for many EVE players judging from some of the painful comments.

I really don't understand what the issue is. Currently, you can buy an account with ISK from PLEX which essentially allows you to pay to rapidly advance a pilot for something like a FOTM Supercarrier. You can also buy the supercap with ISK from selling PLEX.

I think CCP should cash in by selling a few million SP for a PLEX. They could use the extra money to fix lag or work on Duke Nukem Incarnate. Instead of being forced to buy some other player's ugly portrait, allow us to rapidly advance the toon we are connected with personally.

To all the whiners who complain about allowing people to use money to get ahead, please refer to the above paragraph explaining that you can currently buy an advanced account with ISK from PLEX and pimp said account out with ships and faction mods purchased with PLEX ISK. This is also very good for the game as it allows hardcore gamers with more time than money to finance their game play by buying PLEX with their hard earned ISK.

RMT is already a huge factor in EVE. Heads out of the sand! If you need to rage quit because I burst your "I earned it, don't let others buy their way in" bubble, please send me your stuff.

More CCP fail.

Just in case you needed another example of how CCP neglects the community of veteran players in their constant tilting at new player windmills, Capsuleer is being shelved by its devs.

To sum it up, CCP would have to give a license to the Capsuleer app to allow them to sell the app in the App store. CCP could set up a revenue sharing model so everyone benefits. Sadly, they are too busy "building" Duke Nukem ambulating in space to spend the 10 seconds to brainstorm on setting up a revenue sharing license with 3rd party apps. It is seriously as simple as calling their lawyer and saying "draw up a revenue sharing license for 3rd party apps" and paying the lawyer for a few hours work.

Other very amazing 3rd party tools such as Eve Metrics have also had development hampered because of the inability to self support development through revenue generation.

I think CCP management needs a shake up. They are so out of touch it is painful to watch.

Here comes trouble!

Word on the street is that Pandemic Legion, Russians, and IT are teaming up to come hit the NC. This should be interesting! I think NC will fight much harder to defend than Atlas did, but the Russians teaming with IT will be pretty nasty with PL evil-sauce on top.

EDIT:

Yes is was a giant troll. Yes I still think it is funny. (And would be scary if true!)

Kugu swarms Kirith!

Kirith Kodachi over at Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah managed to spawn a multi-page nerd rage thread at Kugutsumen where spaceship nerds with no life rage about Kirith's post lamenting a recent low number of kills in 0.0.

Having a marriage, children, and an active career precludes spending large chunks of time in a game for responsible individuals.  If you want to be entertained by some seriously clueless "hardcore EVE players" response to Kirith's post, you shouldn't miss this Kugu thread!

The tone of superiority and condescension is fascinating.  These guys are actually looking down at Kirith for having a life.  Internet spaceship geek drama can be so entertaining.  

I was pleased to see Kirith's CEO come to his defense in the comments.  He obviously understands that KK brings something positive to their corp.

EVE News 24

If you enjoy the politics metagame in EVE, you will likely enjoy EVE News 24.  This site provides intelligent articles about the shifting Null-sec landscape as well as realtime news updates involving the big players in 0.0 space.

The site also has an in-game channel: EVENEWS24

If trolling through Kugu and Scrapheap is too painful for your nullsec news needs, you will find the informative highlights and useful info on EVE News 24 can give you the information you want without the hassle of dealing with EVE forums.

Motivated Grief

Welcome to the sixteenth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

With the recent completion of the 3rd installment of the Hulkageddon last month, @CyberinEVE, author of Hands Off, My Loots!, asks: “Griefing is a very big part of EVE. Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming are all a very large part of the game. What do you think about all these things? You can talk about one, or all…but just let us know your overall opinion on Griefing, and any recommendations you may have to change it if you think it’s needed.”

I don't understand how making someone else feel bad creates pleasure for an individual.  It must increase one's sense of personal power.  I can't say that video game "tears" provide any energy for myself, but I imagine it is like kids in elementary school making fun of the dumb kid or the fat kid to make themselves feel better about their existential experience.  

I certainly enjoy the pleasure of shooting a red in nullsec.  I completely understand the lure of piracy, ninja-ing, and suicide ganking as entertaining gameplay, but these pastimes don't strike me as griefing.  EVE is based on competition and economic scarcity, blowing up ships and being at risk of gank at all times adds to the drama and in-game dynamic tension.  We kill each other in EVE because it is really fun, even when you get on the wrong side of a Pandemic Legion death fleet!   We also kill to make ISK, which is also completely legit in my book.  Specifically trying to hurt someone's feelings to create pleasure is lame and betrays psychopathological motivations.  It comes down to the Ego.  What drives your pleasure shows your character.

This question dips into interesting territory as our culture moves more into virtual experience as a social phenomenon.  We have all heard "I am just role playing a griefer, you are just too X-Y-Z to get it."  Being able to dip into the taboo or dark side experience could be very useful for self-definition.  It could also be corruptive.  Who am I? (in game?)  What gives me pleasure? (in game?)  How will I achieve my objectives? (in game?)

Do these virtual choices affect "Real Life?"  Does playing a psychopath in a game lead to antisocial behaviors?  Is there a difference between shooting virtual creatures in Halo and "griefing" conscious individuals for fun in EVE in the impact on one's conscience, empathy, and character?  Maybe it is all "lolz" and I am wasting neurons asking these questions!

For my EVE experience, it all boils down to the fact that there are plenty of antisocial predators in real life.  Having New Eden chock full of griefers just makes EVE that much more realistic, dark, and entertaining.  At the same time, I prefer to surround myself with fun loving, light-hearted, silly individuals.  I also make a point of only trusting pilots I know in real life!

I think motivation separates griefing from gameplay in EVE.  If you are ganking or ninja-ing to make ISK, good for you!  If you experience elation when your team "wins" the battle, you are experiencing the same feeling sportsmen have enjoyed since the ancient Olympians.  If you are getting a charge from ruining someone's day, you are lame and a griefer.  You can gank someone and still be a good sport.   It is a game and it is fun to compete in this way.  If you are trying to hurt someone's feelings just for your sadistic pleasure, I hope it is useful on your personal journey.

The Naked Emperor

Having started my 0.0 time as an Atlas renter, it is very interesting to watch their Empire crumble away. Given the potential upsides of rental situations to landlord and tenant, I was surprised to see how terrible Atlas treated their tenants during my time in the southeast.

Whenever Atlas pilots were around, they made it very clear that renters were nothing but stupid annoyances unworthy of any basic respect. Atlas acted like they couldn't be bothered to defend such worthless noobs when the PL and RUS train came rolling. Looking back, it is clear that Atlas had internally decomposed to the point that they couldn't actually serve as liege or protector. Their leadership didn't care about the renters, but they also didn't care about their Empire.

It will be interesting to see if they can hold onto "Fortress Omist" under pressure.

Null sec holds so much promise for all types of pilots if decent leadership can shepherd a situation that allows a balanced ecosystem to flourish. Atlas has demonstrated very well how not to administer a 0.0 empire.

Despite the never ending criticism leveled at the NC, they are at least respectful to their members. Their model outlasted the recent invasion by Atlas and friends. It will be fun to watch how things develop in the future as the Russian incursion plays out. BFF!

Kugu gems

Eve - lower your expectations and pants

(Thanks, Krutoj)

Null sec overdrive

Dominion has brought serious changes to Null sec that are just beginning to be felt.  Fiddler's Edge has a great overview of the change in 0.0 and the rise of mega wealth derived from Care-Bears.

 

Most traditional 0.0 Alliances have a love-hate relationship with Industrial activity.  PVPers depend on income from ratting or trade, and benefit from well-stocked markets.  On the other hand, having a defense CTA fizzle because only 10% of pilots are willing to fight is a great way to lose morale and sovereignty.  I have seen that sort of failcascade from the inside out in my brief 9 months in 0.0.  This experience brings some insights into maximizing null-sec resources.

 

Renting Sovereignty is inefficient and chaotic.  There is drama, corp/Alliance failure and constant turnover that saps the administering Alliance's time and energy.  The "landlord" has to constantly mediate the whiners and obnoxious individuals that sneak through even the best screening processes.  For the subject Alliances, the constant payments sap their strength and this drain makes it very difficult to transition from renter to a position of strength.  The landlord Alliance also will usually prefer that the renter not become too powerful, as that can be a threat to the dominating power.

 

PVP oriented organizations rightly need to avoid diluting their focus with a cadre of non-aggressive spreadsheet fetishists.  However, the PVP Alliances will hugely benefit from the income and convenience a care bear dominated market and region can bring.  In the past, some organizations have explored splitting their focus with divisions between -A- and AAA Citizens for example.  However, I feel that this approach "dilutes the brand" of the liege Alliance without providing real benefit beyond the lead Alliance not having to maintain the sov space that is rented out in this manner.

 

Based on my observations in nullsec, I would propose a more efficient organizational structure to maximize Sov space profitability.   In this set-up, all station systems are held by the main Alliance in the region/constellation.  Industrial Corps are recruited into an Industrial-focused Alliance affiliated with the landlord who can negotiate NAP status with major allies.  The mindblowing innovation I am proposing is that NO RENT be charged to the members of the Industrial Alliance.  Instead, the landlord will make their money from Station taxes and fees with very little drama/oversight required.  Office rentals in the stations will alone provide a huge source of constant steady income.  By not charging rent, you alleviate the need to micro-manage while also boosting the perceived value of occupying your space.  I have seen the ISK numbers involved in managing multiple stations, and they are huge.

 

By setting this system up, huge numbers of "carebears" can be enticed to the depths of nullsec to shoot rats, mine, and run complexes.  These Industrial/PVE focused pilots will spend huge amounts of money in the local markets, which will boom as the population increases.  This market activity along with a cut of refinery activity will make serious ISK for the Military Alliance.  Having huge reserves of PVE fodder is also good for the small gang PVP lovers in the main Alliance, as it will attract pirates and roaming small gangs that need to be fought off.  Controlling shares in the Industrial Alliance would be distributed to alts of the controllers of the main Alliance to minimize risk of betrayal/sabotage. 

 

In addition, a certain not-insignificant percentage of nullsec "carebear" pilots will develop an interest in PVP activity and eventually be a potential recruitment source for the main Alliance.  Having cross-Alliance ops such as the NC runs can give pilots in the Industrial corps a chance to explore PVP and contribute to the cause without bringing the main PVP focused Alliance down.  Ops that require security can exclude the Bear-squad to minimize spies, who would likely have an easier time infiltrating Industrial corps.

 

I think this organization would allow huge numbers of pilots to maximize resource extraction without the security risks and "dead-weight" syndrome that can cause "corp-rot" from too much PVE activity in nullsec.  The Administering Alliance would likely reserve a few of the most "choice" low true-sec systems for their pilots to exploit to regenerate needed ISK.  It would be easy to reserve access to certain systems for the Alliance's pilots while radically increasing overall constellation density.  There are very few negatives to filling up your un-used nullsec with carebear hordes.

 

In summary, Goonfleet Federation needs a Goonbear Federation; IT Alliance needs BoBears; Red.Overlord needs the Red.BearMasters.  I predict that the Alliances that master carebear synergy while maintaining a PVP elite capable of holding onto Sov space will flourish in the near future.  As the ISK flows, supercaps will follow!

 

 

Sublime Crime!

I broke down last night and purchased APB on Steam.  I had played the 5 hours that were allowed in the open Beta and had a blast.  I was looking for a massive FPS to tide me over until either Dust or Planetside 2 comes to PC.  (I know Dust is headed to consoles first, but I am not a big fan of console gaming.)  The main contenders were APB and Global Agenda.  They both have strongpoints, but the customization and style of APB pulled me towards crime sprees and away from futuristic paramilitary fighting.

 

The character customization in APB is really nice.  I spent a significant amount of time tweaking my look.  (I will try to get a screenshot soon)  Once you are in the active PVP zone, the best strategy is to manually join a group.  If there are multiple players disconnected or if everyone is scattered around the zone, leave and try another group.  The gang warfare is excellent, and the mission system is nice in the way it funnels good guys vs. bad guys dynamically.  In the first night of play I was able to upgrade my weapons to be more effective.  By using cover and following a more experienced player with better weapons, you can help out and get kills right from the start.

 

The MMOish features in APB are slick.  There is a step sequencer/synthesizer that allows you to make your own theme song.  This will play to the enemy when you frag them!  I had a blast making a dark, echoed, techno freakout to assault the ears of my victims.  You can also customize your look, your clothes, and your car.  If motivated, you can design your own tattoos and symbols.

 

One of the very fun ways to trigger a mission in ABP as a criminal is to drive around the city mowing down pedestrians and wreaking general havoc.  This behavior will spawn a mission for "Enforcer" characters to bring you to justice.  You have 10 minutes to evade capture while they hunt you down and try to kill or subdue you.  Driving is fun in the game, and there are many different car-jackable vehicles with different speed, handling, and toughness.  You can drive around the city evading the Enforcers and then jump out and run into an alley for a little urban warfare.  It feels very "movie like."  I found myself howling with laughter often during my first night of play.

 

Some people are saying that APB is not an MMO.  I'm not sure I agree, but I mainly don't care.  The game is fun: you can shoot people in the face, drive over them at silly speeds, explode cars, snipe, run-and-gun and develop a wicked individualized avatar.  The graphics are beautiful, and can run smoothly at 1920x1080 on high settings on an ATI 4870.  I found it to be very slightly choppy on maximum setting, while high was smooth even with lots of people running around.  You would need a faster card than a 4870 to completely max out the graphics with a big monitor.

 

Overall, I think APB is a great compliment to EVE.  It provides a burst of kill that is quick and accessible.  It really makes me realize that CCP needs to flesh out Dust and eventually bring squad based FPS into the PC EVE client. Then I wouldn't have to dip into another virtual universe for that visceral FPS PVP fix! 

Don't count your eggs before they hatch!

Elite PVP Battle report!

If you enjoy reading elite PVP EVE blogs, move on along. I am slowly learning some PVP ropes, and today I aquired several burns!

We had a big CTA because of the Goon's new Eastern focus. It was fun to see over a hundred ships assembling in a fleet. The lag really is amazingly problematic, even with just 150 ships or so. I really hope CCP is working hard on fixing that!



We moved into position and camped some strategic gates while the big brains developed a strategy for the battles of the day. When the first big fight happened, I was about the third pilot targeted. I asked for logistics but my buffer Brutix evaporated in a few seconds from the concentrated DPS of dozens of Battleships. With the lag, there was no time for a Logi pilot to get me locked!

I flew my Pod though seriously red Goon infested space, bouncing off planets to dodge the blood thirsty enemies. I managed to make it 4 jumps to an NPC station in Curse with an Atron available. Sadly, that station had no useful mods, so I had to fly "naked" without any mods another 3 jumps to a station with some basic mods to get me back in the fight. Each time I loaded a system it took from 30 seconds to a few minutes to load. Miraculously, I got the Atron into our engagement system to try to help tackle. I rarely fly Atrons, preferring Ishkurs or Incursus', and I was not a ton of help as the engagement was at sniping ranges. I orbited our logistics, hoping to at least be helpful if an interceptor came in close.

We fell back to another system and assembled at a gate to await reinforcements. We were hanging at the gate when BOOM! - I got killed by Goon bombers for the first time! I doubt it is the last time I'll get smoked by a Goonie... They got my POD with a subsequent bomb about a second later. I then realized that I was out in my main clone with all Level 4 implants...

To really make the day awesome, I later tried to help a local pilot in our homespace who was being attacked by a Curse, Vagabond, and Malediction. I warped in with my Ishkur, and got to experience the serious pain of being Neuted to the point of having no cap, no mods, and being unable to warp out while the enemies leisurely take their time shooting you. It was great fun, and I learned to avoid Curses like the plague without some serious backup. (I did have some backup, but no ECM or logistics.)

In short, I got seriously creamed today, 3 times! It was great fun. The PVP is hooking me deeply, but if you see me coming, I wouldn't worry too much -- YET!

Excellence!

There is a great proposal up on the CSM forums to encourage CCP to focus more on fixing bugs, Lag, "polish", and fleshing out neglected features and UI rather than cranking out half finished buggy expansions every six months. To quote the original poster:


What we would like CCP to consider:
* Continue developing features until they reach a predetermined 'excellence' level
* Re-evaluate the amount of time allocated to fixing/developing old content and reduce the nonchalant attitude towards re-assigning teams to shiny new content.
* Reconsider the total release schedule time: is it really sufficient to produce 'excellent' quality game design?

Check out the threadnaught and vote to support if you agree at:

http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=1327362&page=1

Planetary Resources

If you are getting excited about Planetary Interaction, check out:

4WARD Inc.

These awesome pilots have built a website that will be very helpful when you are planning what planets to set up your PI on. The website allows you to search for "perfect" systems that can produce every PI product. You can also see exactly what can be produced from the planet mix in your system of choice. This works in the IGB.

These same pilots also produce the definitive PI spreadsheet!

Given the idiosyncrasies of setting up PI installations, I highly recommend setting your stuff up on the Sisi test server first. This way you can add and subtract to optimize things without dropping too much cash.

Please share any other awesome PI sites or resources in the comments and I'll add them to the list.

Tyrannis live

Being West Coast is always painful when everyone else is jumping into a new expansion and I am stuck at work.

Things are really cooking for me in EVE, so much that I rarely have time to blog these days. I'll try to update on PI after the market craziness post update settles down.

Events!

Check out the new dev blog for info on the new in- game events CCP will be trialing in the Tyrannis expansion. This brand of evolving live events that shape the overall lore and storyline could be groundbreaking MMO territory if it works well.

Here's to CCP innovation, let's hope the follow through is impeccable.

BTW, Vote in the CSM if you haven't yet. I am pulling for Mynxee, though there are many excellent candidates.

WOMEN IN EVE

Welcome to another special installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!



I am completely unqualified to speculate about WOMEN IN EVE. Please don’t read this with the same voice tone as PIGS IN SPACE, as I don’t know many people (or women for that matter) who like being associated with pigs. Or space(ships). Face it, EVE and internet pew pew spaceships are for Geeks.

While there are certainly female geeks, my distant memories of middle school inform the theory that there is less socially adaptive advantage for women to embrace their inner geekdom. Geeky girls have plenty of opportunities to cross over into other social spheres, whereas the male geek may be more stuck in his social stratus in those formative years.

Despite the fact that half of us playing EVE are over 30 and over the gaming hill (defined by being unable to compete with a 15 year old in ultra-twitch FPS due to age-dulled intellect and slow reflexes), the problem with WOMEN IN EVE began in grade school. Boys with geeky tendencies get sucked into video games early. While there is a sizable and growing proportion of gynecogamers, the estrogenergic ones are dwarfed by a testosterone train (shaped like an Avatar Titan) pounding down the gaming section of your local big box store. If you want to see more women in EVE, you need a better gateway drug for the feminine young-uns than the weak Link, Space Invaders and Mario most of us cut our teeth on.

Once the brain has formed, it is nearly impossible to change deep perceptions of the utility in sitting at a computer for hours at a time yelling into a microphone while punching F1 through F4 and talking smack in local. I can’t even get my wife to play Wii with me despite purchasing fodder such as Agony Christie murder games and Lego cooperative love fests. Selling a non-hardcore gamer on EVE falls below futile into grave folly territory. I often wonder why I love the griefer-infested dark Darwinian paradise of New Eden so much myself! Sadly, that love likely betrays a Machiavellian participant in the endless chaotic drama that pulses through the best sandbox on earth.

Given the upward trend in subscriptions, I think CCP has at least been able to attract the cross dressing role player crowd in addition to the uber-I’m-not-gay homophobic mouthbreathers. Maybe CCP should stick to what they know and keep encouraging those cross dressers to Harden the Fuck Up. If a few exceptional females choose to jump on the train now and then, we all benefit. If EVE remains the ultimate sausage fest in a vacuum, at least it is a damn entertaining exercise in exploring the fun to be had on the dark side of the human behavioral spectrum with a bunch of cross-dressing spaceship fetishists. It may cost a few thousand real world dollars to have your Titan ganked by your ex-corpmates, but it is about the fun, damn it! (The fun shall not be confused with the epeen, see mouth breather comment above…)




More banter on the topic of WOMEN IN EVE:

1. The Ladies of New Eden


2. Is EVE a man's world?


3. Sorry, No Pink Spaceships Here Please


4. EVE Blog Banter: Chicks 'N Ships


5. Eve Blog Banter: The Girls Who Fly Spaceships


6. It’s not about fluffy bloody Kittens people!


7. Space Boobies Are Bad, m'kay?


8. Special Blog Banter: I Like Girls


9. Special Edition or making Eve More Casual


10. I wish my wife played EVE


11. Is there something special about women?


12. CK's Blog Banter


13. The Female of the Species


14. EVE Online Can Appeal to Women By Adding Casual Content


15. Blog Banter: The Ladies


16. Women Who Want EVE


17. Tech 2 stilettos


18. New Eden doesn't need to change for Eve – Adam needs to get over himself


19. EVE Online and… women (sorta)


20. Think Outside the Spaceship


21. EVE's monthly banter - Women, women, women


22. Girls Just Wanna Have... Guns!


23. Draco Horizons (Blog) <-- Needs to add intro (with links) and list of participants


24. Don’t change Eve for me!


25. Where Are Teh Laydeez of EVE?


26. Where Are All The Wenches?


27. EVEquality: The Rise of the Female Gamer


28. Women? In MY SPACESHIP? Is she from Mars as well?


29. Blog Banter: Captain Kirk Hates Eve 


30. The Female of the Species


31. The Ladies of New Eden


32. EVE and the X by X Genetic Succession Unit


33. Sociability V


34. Girl on Girls in Space


35. What women want (in Eve)


36. Time Is On Our Side


37. Roc Appeal <-- Needs to add intro (with links) and list of participants


38. Women in EVE


39. Getting In Touch With Our Feminine Side


40. It's a woman's world (they just don't know it yet!) 


41. Women in EVE – Can it be done? 


42. You'd Rather Be Playing The Sims, Right?


43. Blog Banter #17 – Women in Eve


44. How To Get The Betty’s


45. EVE: WTB girls?


46. All about EVE


47. Ladies to the gunfight


48. Hell hath no fury


49. The Ladies of New Eden (An Analysis on How Men are not from Mars, and Women are not from Venus)


50. EVE Blog Banter 17: The Ladies of New Eden 


51. The Ladies of New Eden


52. Getting ladies to play Eve Online


53. Why Don't More Women Play EVE?? <-- Needs a link to the original banter post in the intro


54. Getting Girls to Play EVE 


55. Et Tu, Brutus? » Blog Archive » Girls, Girls, Girls.


56. Why I don’t play Eve Online | Restokin


57. Ladies of New Eden | My Blog <-- Make sure to add a list of the other participants!


58. The female podling « Ore, Pirates, and Pods


59. Tinkers Blog: Ladies in Space


60. Ideas on How To Attract More Female Pilots <-- Make sure to add a link back to the original post!


61. Ladies of Eve - Blog Banter


62. Your agent has ended your mission for not attaining more women <- More links to participants please!


63. Let's Fly, Ladies!!


64. Bringing the Sisters to EVE


65. EnerlaNET Forums - 52 days of Eve Online


66. In Search of the Sisters of Eve


67. EnerlaNET Forums - Be a man! Fight back!


68. Getting more Eves in Eve Online


69. Making Bannan Peels Relevant: Gender Inclusiveness in CCP's EVE Online


70. Daughters of EVE


71. Women in Eve


72. “Prove It”: Women In EvE


73. It’s Hip To Be Square: Taking Videogames Out of the Basement


74. The X-Factor


75. The Ladies of New Eden... A Blog Banter Entry by Cattie


76. Gal-Ristas!


77. Question: Tell Me What You Think About This? <-- Needs to add intro (with links) and list of participants


78. Ain’t No Sunshine


79. What Women Want…


80. Lady Vengeance, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pew-Pew

Riding the Drama Llama

EVE never fails to provide opportunity for intrigue and interpersonal chaos. Keeping pilots working together in an Alliance is a monumental task. I have never tried to run an Alliance, but I can only imagine how much work it would take to keep the ship on course. I have just experienced the pain that affects all pilots when an Alliance ship hits a reef or two on the way out to sea.

My now-ex alliance just lost 1/3 their membership as 4 corps left including the biggest industrial corp and the biggest PVP corp totalling hundreds of pilots. I logged in to find that my corp had dropped roles, and I was stuck in a 0.0 station without any blues as the corp was between alliances! Despite logging in daily, hanging on Vent and reading all corp forum posts and Eve mails, I was completely out of the loop of the coming major changes.

Through all the accusations and bad blood, I am still not sure what happened. I don't want to ride the drama llama but I also don't want to be trampled by a drama llama stampede. Having just contributed 9 figures in ISK to the Alliance fund to build an outpost, having the corp drop from the Alliance shortly after stings badly. If the leadership had indicated that things were shaky, I could have used that ISK for multiple other projects. If trust is the true currency in EVE, this account has been bankrupted by poor communication.

Hopefully things will work out well for all involved parties. I really enjoyed flying with pilots from both the alliance and my corp. It is hard to see things sour and have no clue what happened. I am taking this as a cue to strike out into a new chapter in my EVE saga. My goal is to establish a new foothold in 0.0. I now know much more about null-sec life, so I have ideas about the parameters and strategic situations that will work best for my style of interaction.

My quest to leap off the drama llama and seek out the Temple of Tranquility is about to begin!

My copilot joined the Guristas!

I was blown away to find out that my son joined the Guristas! I hope he will be an exceptional pirate!

Shiny

Here's my new beautiful desktop background:

You can also now legally access badges which can be a nice way to show off your political leanings in New Eden! While I favor the Syndicate and Sisters, I also have a soft spot for the Gallente as they throw the best parties.

You can pick up your images here from the Evelopedia.

(This material is used with limited permission of CCP. No official affiliation or endorsement by CCP is stated or implied and they would almost certainly pod me if they ever made the mistake of actually reading this blog).

How to cheat at EVE Online

EVE Online is probably the most challenging, deep, complex MMO game on earth. Developing a pilot in EVE takes careful consideration and years of planning and attention. Getting into true hardcore PVP can take months of skill training and establishing an ISK source is critical to cover the inevitable losses. This requires grinding up factions to access high paying mission agents or training skills for mining or industry to make ISK. All of these activities take significant time and attention.

However, there is a way to rapidly get access to the endgame content if you have deep pockets and don't mind jumping into the hidden markets of New Eden.


EVE Cheating 101:

Sign up for an EVE account, subscribe.

Start training up a scanning or cyno alt, which will be useful later.

Go to the EVE Online forums and browse through the available Pilots for sale. You should find a good selection of PVP specialists, Industrialists, Traders and Jacks-of-all-trades. Choose your poison and move on to the next step.

Buy PLEX to cover the ISK cost of your character and to purchase any ships or mods you like.

If you have trouble figuring out the ropes after the tutorials, join EVE University, take an Agony Unleashed class, or buy more PLEX and hire a mercenary corp to train you in PVP basics.

Please note, CCP officially sanctions this behavior. This procedure utilizes legal mechanics within the EVE Online TOS.

In fair warning, many pilots would be offended if they knew you achieved your power in EVE through such means. More importantly, having things in EVE does not equate to knowing how to use them. Should you get yourself blown up feel free to buy more ISK, and keep buying things from my market orders!

While you may be able to cheat your way to a Titan in EVE, keeping that ship alive will be a real challenge. In the meantime, by buying PLEX you are allowing established pilots to play EVE for free. Losing ships that you don't know how to fly benefits miners and industrialists who produce goods and work the markets. When you buy PLEX, CCP gets paid for making a great game. We all win!

Null-sec noise

You know you've been sucked into 0.0 EVE when you check the Alliance map daily to see what is happening out there.

The epic wars are endlessly entertaining. Seeing the pro-slave owning Providence pilots get some karmic therapy is wonderful. Wondering what is next for IT, Goons, and the NC keeps me engaged in the chaos. I have found 0.0 life to be the best of both worlds. It is easy to jump clone back to Empire when you want to, but you also have the daily opportunities for PVP, corp ops, and lucrative pursuits.

If you've never ventured out to the frontier before, find a welcoming corp and take the leap! You can always pop back into high sec to mission or trade when you feel like it.

Thanks to DOTLAN and eve-files for maintaining such a great resource!

Alliance Tournament VIII

The next Alliance tournament is upon us.

You can see all the info on changes here. I am impressed by the mention in the Dev blog of the CSM being consulted regarding rule changes and the new auction system.

This is the sort of use of the CSM that will help legitimize the body for players. I think the CSM quality this time around is superb, and it is turning into a useful and functional process. I hope CCP keeps using the CSM and letting us know about it.

Good luck to the competing Alliances! I also hope CCP considers video streams of all battles this time around.

Jorshan rocks the Industry

If you have ever wondered about getting into production or research, you should check out Jorshan's Very Quick Guide to Production and Invention. He breaks the process down to simple steps, and provides tons of experienced tips. Knowing this stuff up front will save a newcomer to production some time and help you maximize your ISK, training, and time.

The Feudal future

A quick poll of the #Tweetfleet on whether Dominion has increased Null sec density returns a resounding NO.  This is a contrast to the region I am in, which has seen a significant population increase since Dominion hit the scene.  I think the massive turbulence that has hit 0.0 with Dominion is to blame for the lack of increased density in most regions. 

 

The reason my region has seen population growth is stability.  We renters are protected by a powerful PVP alliance which allows us to focus on growth and development of our systems.  With several Sov systems heavily upgraded, we can support a large amount of Industry and PVE.  The upgraded systems are great for these pastimes, providing a huge income boost with Anomalies and Radar/Grav/Mag sites. 

 

Recruiting PVP players remains a priority, even for renters. A fair percentage of new arrivals, myself included, are enjoying getting into fleet PVP ops with our Alliance.  As we are NEWBs to PVP, we could not cut it yet in a dedicated PVP alliance.  You have to learn somewhere, and many renter corps are delighted to train new killers.  

 

I think the renter model is the gateway to increased null-sec density that Dominion will bring to regions that are under stable control.  Bringing people in to "farm" upgraded systems provides huge benefits to the Liege alliance.  You have an increased militia for CTA.  Even if they are not expert PVPers, anyone can sick some drones on an enemy ship and be helpful in defense ops.  As some renter alliances develop, they will actively patrol the local areas, increasing security for resource utilization and cynos for the Liege alliance. 

 

A bigger benefit comes from developed markets which will tend to happen when you let industrialists roam free.  This benefits PVP players with access to mods/ammo/rigs/ships out in the 0.0 hinterlands.  The biggest benefit to the Liege alliance is the tremendous income a dominated region can bring in rental fees and station fees and taxes.  What power-bloc Alliance couldn't find a use for those extra Billions? 

 

It will be interesting to see if IT makes use of this trend in their new space, or if they just hold onto it in the old low-density fashion.  Will the extra income and benefits from renting systems be worth the extra trouble for the big fish?  The playing field has been changed, it is now time to see what system will be most fit for 0.0 survival.  As we watched CVA get rolled by a premier PVP Alliance, it becomes evident that Dominion is not going to allow small alliances or big carebear alliances to survive in 0.0 without protection.  The price for holding space is being a big, bad, focused PVP force capable of waging high level warfare tactics. 

 

I am excited to see whether the Alliances who are actively trying to bring new pilots into 0.0 by renting space will find a competitive advantage against the Alliances stuck in a pre-Dominion mentality.  Will the Feudal model be successful?  My instinct is yes, but time will tell.

Pointy ears and tights have it all wrong!

Tobold, the WOW blogger, has gone on a rant about how RMT ruins EVE Online. His thesis is that in EVE, you can buy success which breaks the game.

I think that if you are used to playing a game like WOW, LOTRO, or EQ this might seem possible. The important point that the non-EVE-playing "analyst" misses is that EVE is not just about running up to something and pushing 4 keys in a specific order while dodging/changing positions at key times that you can learn from watching You Tube Videos with no risk of losing your stuff if the group or raid wipes. While one can certainly get into a big ship by buying PLEX, one can also lose that ship VERY fast if they do not know exactly what they are doing. Even in High sec, expensive ships are ganked all the time. Just ask Helicity!

I fully support new players picking up a few PLEX to get started with EVE. It helps with skill purchases and getting going with ships early on and also helps established players play for free as they sell ISK to the new player. This RMT does not affect my gaming in any way except in moving ISK to people who are looking to spend it, which is good for my market orders. The only flow of cash is from players to CCP, avoiding the problems with supporting macro-slime or botters.

Tobold is concerned about fairness, "You being able to boost your power with money is even worse if you directly compete with other players in PVP."

At the level of low sec or 0.0 play, buying PLEX does not give one any significant advantage over the other players who are out killing each other. Any decent PVP player can fit and fly T2 to get an edge in battle when that is called for. Having deep pockets will enable you to afford to lose more ships, but it will not make you a better pilot. In WOW, purchasing expensive gear will "twink" your toon and give a tremendous advantage over players with cheap gear. Conversely, a T2 fit Taranis could easily go down to a cheap Rifter if the pilot doesn't know what they are doing.

The skill system which Tobold maligns allows a very young player to be highly useful in gang and fleet warfare with veteran players within a week or two of starting the game as a tackler or scout. I certainly don't think a 2 week player on the WOW rails would be able to interact meaningfully at all with lvl 80 WOW players in a PVP situation.

In EVE, you cannot buy your way to easy mode. Using specialized and expensive ships makes you a tremendous target. You fly ships like that for a specific purpose or role with great understanding of the risk and appropriate fleet backup. There is no uber-unstoppable ship for every situation! (Sorry Tengu pilots...)

To break it down clearly for any traditional pointy ears and tights MMO players reading this: You cannot "buy your way to power" in EVE. You can "buy your way to providing expensive loot drops for the rest of us" in EVE. In fact, I strongly encourage Tobold or any other MMO player to jump into EVE and prove me wrong by buying up some PLEX and becoming "powerful" to demonstrate this uninformed claim. Just be sure to update your clone before you leave the station!

P.S.

There is no easy mode in EVE.

H.T.F.U.

Blog Banter Contest Winners

With 56 entries, the last Blog Banter contest was a huge success.

Despite a major snafu with terrible formatting in the initial post through Gmail, Crazy Kinux gave me the benefit of the doubt and selected this blog as one of the 10 winners:

1. 1st Prize - $100 in EVE Store merchandise: Wench with a Wrench
   
   
2. 2nd Prize - $50 in EVE Store merchandise: Don't Fear the Mutant
   
   
3. 3rd Prize- $25 in EVE Store merchandise: Into the unknown with gun and camera
   
   
4. 4th Prize - $25 in EVE Store merchandise: Sered's Lives
   
   And the following bloggers each win a 14 Day EVE Time Code:
   
   
5. FlashFresh
6. EVEOGANDA
7. Vive Virtual
8. Why do I love EVE Online
9. An Extremely Complicated Survival Machine
10. Ecliptic Rift

Thanks for coordinating the contest, CK! I really enjoyed reading through the amazing entries. I also found a few more excellent EVE blogs to subscribe to, which is a nice bonus.

(You can reach me at: Jagginsi0i(at)gmail.com)

Goodbye Goonswarm

Goonfleet and Goonswarm are dead, at the hands of Goonfleet CEO Karttoon. In another twist of fate only possible in EVE's sandbox of chaos, the irritated CEO who forgot to pay the Goon SOV bill causing the loss of Delve decided to strike at his angered Goons and destroyed their Alliance while pocketing obscene amounts of ISK.

Darius J is now re-taking the spiritual leadership of the Goons and they will reform in no time as a new entity. I expect Goons will be back to their shenanigans within a few weeks under a new name, BoB style.

Ex-Goonswarm pilots emulating ex-BoB pilots after getting screwed over by a Goon. This stuff keeps me from even looking at new shallower Sci-fi games like STO. No Dev team can make this drama up. I think the butterfly has been working overtime since Dominion rocked the world.

Bloodlust Backlash

Since moving to 0.0, I have had the delight of getting to PVP on a regular basis. While not particularly skilled or talented in that arena, I find the Pew exquisitely entertaining.

My newfound bloodlust caused me some grief tonight, however. We had an incursion of neuts and in my haste to join the rapid response fleet, I forgot that I was in my clone with +4s that I keep at the station I do my production and market stuff at.

Distracted by my 2 year old almost waking from his nap on the monitor, I warped to the wrong gate, got behind the fleet, and got picked off by a sneaky cloaky strike force at a gate my fleet had just warped past. (The sneaky bastards were too smart to engage the fleet, they wisely waited to gank the straggler instead!)

So far in learning PVP I am down a Vexor and a Thorax. Despite my losses, I am feeling comfortable to now fly a Brutix when the FC calls for bigger ships! Hopefully this sad tale will remind some other pilot to check that JC before joining their CTA...

EVE Blog Banter - The Heart and Soul of EVE

Welcome to this special installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic.

Complexity. Intrigue. Humanity.

When thinking about what I love about EVE, I can reduce the myriad awesome details down to several key principles. The depth of gameplay and variety of approaches to utilizing the sandbox creates opportunity for constant development and learning. Whenever a particular role becomes stale, one can jump into a new experience and explore what that has to offer. Missioning, trading, pirating, developing Sov Space, exploration, industry, mining, fleet warfare, and mercenary ops are just some of the obvious EVE pastimes. Drilling down into any role, the depth is almost overwhelming. One has to learn what ships to use, how to use them, how to fit them, and how to work with others most efficiently in a given role. Options range from playing an integrated role in group ops to multiboxing solo play. Given CCP's strong commitment to ongoing development, new options are constantly on the horizon bringing new challenges and new opportunities. The player run market pulses with aggression and beckoning opportunity. The ever-present degrees of risk in EVE require thought and planning to minimize losses. Engaging with this intensity and complexity is intellectually engaging and emotionally satisfying.

New Eden feels alive, vital, and expansive. Far more than the lurking pirate rats or Sleeper drones, it is the primal game of hunting and being hunted that breathes energy into the experience. Whether it is jockeying for market dominance or taking steps to minimize pirate predation, the ever present intrigue always influences time in New Eden. Gifted players take this to amazing heights orchestrating spy rings, disinformation campaigns, subterfuge, scams and campaigns based on revenge, political machinations, or pure opportunistic exploitation. Occupying a world with such nefarious Machiavellian processes makes trust the most valuable commodity in the game. Trust is also the most risky and dangerous vulnerability to any project in New Eden. This dynamic tension creates massive drama as an emergent process. For those with the mind to observe and utilize these forces, great works are possible.

While the first two principles of complexity and intrigue set the stage, it is the humanity that truly keeps me engaged with EVE. The communities that form both in and out of game provide a seamless interpersonal experience that is rich and entertaining. The EVE Bloggers, forums, websites and Tweetfleet keep me connected to the game even when I am unable to actually log in. The passion that these players bring to their creative expressions is inspiring. The extended community of external developers gives us great tools for maximizing our EVE time and effectiveness while keeping us engaged in planning and plotting. The most intense human aspect of EVE comes from collaboration with other pilots in cooperative projects. Whether working keep a corp functional and relevent, or joining a movement like Hulkageddon, players set goals together and enjoy the ride. We come together to defend our space or to build our wallets up so that we can then jump into even deeper projects. Living in a C6 wormhole, holding Sovereignty in 0.0, and building capitol ships are examples of projects in EVE that require massive coordination and cooperation. While the griefers add intrigue to the space, it is the pilots that we enjoy flying and building with who provide the heart and soul of the EVE experience. I look forward to meeting many new friends while deepening the ones I have already made long into the future that comes rushing to New Eden one line of CCP code at a time!

Goons Gone!

The 0.0 political game is getting truly insane! Fortress Delve is no longer Goony. IT is sweeping into Delve after Sov bills were not paid by GoonSwarm. -A- is taking over swathes of Querious. Systematic Chaos is moving on Period Basis.

Everyone is waiting to see where Goons set their sights after they regroup in Syndicate. If they decide to amuse themselves with another high sec jihad, it will likely even eclipse Hulkageddon!

The churn seems to be accelerating. I am enthralled by the ripples of complexity as human behavior is channeled into metagaming and exploding internet spaceships! Dominion lag is a downer, but I am overall delighted by the cataclysmic shake up out in null-sec.

A Machiavellian toast to War, Profits, Pew, and Politics!

Drums of War

War is raging in null sec.  The NC is defending against a variety of attackers after the fall of Geminate, AAA and CVA are sparring over a high sec pipe, and IT alliance is settling into the areas once held by Pandemic Legion and Sons of Tangra.

 

No one can argue that Dominion didn't bring war to New Eden.  One can only speculate about whether IT will be challenging Goons for Delve, or turn their attention elsewhere as they consolidate in the west.  The churn is impressive. 

 

We still haven't seen a rise in smaller alliances as a strong trend after Dominion.  While 0.0 can now support much more player density, big fleet engagements continue to control the political map.  I don't think a small alliance can hold space without backing from a major PVP alliance at this time.  I am interested to see if there is a selective evolutionary pressure that will reward Alliances that pursue increased density and system development over time as this can provide significant income through taxation and station fees.  The problem is that in 0.0, it all boils down to how many skilled pilots you can muster in a fleet.  Filling space with PVE and Industrial players may make the corp ISK and keep the market stocked, but it also makes your space a big target.  You have to be able to shoot any non-blue who comes near your space if you want to utilize it.  Null sec is harsh.  It's the best place to be in EVE!

EVE Blog Banter #14 - Frontier Living

Welcome to the fourteenth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

The first banter of 2010 comes to us from the EVE Blog Father, CrazyKinux himself, who asks the following: As we begin another year in New Eden, ask yourselves "What Now?" What will I attempt next? What haven't I done so far in EVE? Was it out fear, funds, or knowledge? Have I always wanted to start my own corporation, but have never dared doing so? Is there a fledging mercenary waiting to come out of its shell? Or maybe an Industrialist? What steps and objectives will I set myself to accomplish in order to reach my ultimate goal for this year? EVE is what you make of it. So, what is it going to be for you?

 

 

2010 is the year of my move to 0.0 space.  While I actually moved right before Christmas 2009, I am now settling into null sec life.  I have smuggled Billions in BPOs and am working at helping supply the frontier market for the benefit of my corp and all other blues in our region.  I will be training Gallente PVP skills, finishing off T2 Ogres, T2 Hybrids, and learning to fly T2 Gallente Cruisers.

 

The opportunities that Dominion has brought to Sov space in 0.0 are immense.  Grav sites with huge mineral deposits will hopefully keep the minerals flowing to my buy orders to use for production.  I am also tempted to train for a Hulk so I can do some mining when I am not in the mood for more active play.  Keeping an eye out for 10/10 plexes and WH to invade also provides diversion and variety while utilizing my scanning skills from the WH months in 2009.  I will continue to smuggle datacores and other essentials from Empire as needed, providing adrenaline and requiring increased knowledge of possible routes through 0.0 with safes created to increase my safety.

 

Most importantly, my move to null sec is about developing my PVP skills for roaming gangs.  I can produce Incursus, Vexor, Thorax, Myrmidon, and Brutix hulls.  As long as I can procure minerals, I can keep myself in affordable ships for PVP.  I am very impressed with the leadership in my corp, GMSEC.  We are working out the details of existing in 0.0 as a renter corp, and trying to get our members trained to the special needs of occupying territory under a great power (Atlas).  Everything in my first EVE year set the stage for my move to 0.0, I am very excited to see where the future leads!

 

 

Plex time

EVE provided an amazing weekend for me in 0.0.  My corpmates had found a 10/10 plex site in our home system, but no-one online had been able to scan it fully down.  I tried in my trusty rigged, Sister's fitted Helios, but was stymied as I carry Sister's Combat probes, which only go down to 0.5AU.  (Incidentally, in months of living in a WH, I never had a problem locking 100% on a sig with my Sister's combat probes.)  Luckily, a corpmate loaned me some Sister's core probes and I eventually locked the site down to bookmark. Scanning a 10/10 plex is not an easy process, it makes me think it would be worth taking Astrometric Pinpointing and Rangefinding up to 4 or even 5.

 

After assembling a crew of Battleships with a Raven tank and multiple RR Domis, including mine, we started clearing the Plex.  CCP must have had an entertaining chuckle when they designed this particular plex.  From the warp in, we were about 100Km away from the first gate.  In PVE ships without propulsion mods, that is a slow haul.  We moved while clearing the room, which while slow wouldn't have been too bad. 

 

Unfortunately, a red fleet spiked into our system and we all had to warp back to the POS to prevent getting scanned down and ganked.  When the fleet moved on, we warped back to the plex and began slowboating back to the gate.  We made it to the third room and were 1/2 done there when the enemy fleet came back for blood.  This time, our PVP forces were activated and a general CTA was given to help camp a gate.  This meant that we BS mission runners had to warp over to the gate and join with our PVP fitted brethren.  While PVE fitted ships are not terribly effective, the extra firepower from 4 BS is always helpful in a close fight.  Just the drones from 2 Domis can do some serious damage.  The enemy fleet quickly left to find less defended hunting grounds, and we once again got ready to warp back to finish the plex.

 

Slogging through the gates twice before had been brutal, so we stopped at the POS and fitted afterburners to make the return trip slightly less painful.  While this weakened our tanking abilities a little, it seemed like a reasonable risk to avoid slowboating back to the last room.

 

Our time investment paid off greatly when we finished the plex.  My cut of the profits, not counting looting or salvaging came to over 500 million Isk!  That will keep me in PVP ships for quite awhile as long as I stick to Brutix or smaller T1 hulls.