Breaking news!

TEST and many members of the Clusterfuck Coalition are re-setting the NC. This should be great fun, most pilots agree there was too much NAP in 0.0 lately.

I think having the NC leave us blueballed with no communication over and over again when we tried to help them out in defense played a HUGE role in this decision. Having a huge fleet sit on a Titan ready to bridge for hours on multiple days without ever coordinating an attack is a lame way to treat your friends.

We will now get to shoot (ex-)Blues!

The Eye Strengthens

With the Goons' new station in B-DBYQ, the Eye of Terror grows even stronger. Placing a Gallente outpost was a smart move, as it allows many corps to set up offices there, easing the logistics of major war. Making it easy for pilots to gather on the edge of Fountain is the obvious culmination of the infamous Eye of Terror. Can a strengthening hold on western Fountain translate into further gains by Dek Co?

Fountain remains contested space, this weekend will show which way the locus of control is shifting. This war has now lasted months and time will show who wants Fountain more.

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!

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!

 

 

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!

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!

Warlords and fiefdoms

So far, I am loving 0.0! I am learning about the complex politics in null-sec, but am basically still clueless. Being in a smaller alliance that makes use of an ATLAS station, I would give props to the big dogs in my area. There are plenty of small alliances interspersed in ATLAS space. In return for protection and a small chunk of space, we utilize ATLAS stations for refining, trade, and hangar access. This activity generates ISK for ATLAS and serves as a very mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties. It all feels very feudal!

In the recent Gal Net article, the reporter mentions that ATLAS' stated intention is "To create and maintain an environment in which smaller alliances can enjoy a nullsec presence." Looking around in my neck of null-sec, I see ATLAS doing just that. It makes me feel good to know that every time I sell a ship or buy some drones, I am helping support a very useful system.

Given how hard it can be to get out into 0.0, I hope ATLAS is able to foster many more small alliances. It really is the best place to be in New Eden! I am actually surprised that all the big alliances aren't scrambling to bring smaller alliances out to nullsec and get them set up in Sov space. The more people, the more activity, the more upgrades, the more ISK and minerals flowing for everyone!