So this is going to be a bit of a massive update lots to talk about and I know if I split it up I'll never get to it all. I'll divide it up to make it easily accessible for those who don't want to read it all.
News.I've heard rumors of being able to switch up attributes twice a year. This is HUGE mainly cause my toons now have very little need for anything but perception and willpower as I am going for T2 cruisers and T2 guns for all races.
I did a DBR for the new Tech 3 production dev blog should be on ENN shortly check it out comment etc.
Life.Dropped Analytic Philosophy from my classes. It was easily my hardest class and I studied furiously for it and it pretty much burnt me out and made my other classes suffer and now I have to play catch up in them. Just about over this cold as well so I've given a lot of my free time to EVE instead of studying...which is dumb but its what I'm doing.
Piracy.I'll be starting with the most recent engagements I've had and be working back through the weekend. I've always tried to keep my alts rather under the radar but at this point I don't care. I finally went permablinky with my pirate alt Mapes. She's a murder machine and can fly any race's T1 cruisers, guns, and ewar. I fly with the illustrious Ninja Pirates. They are a good bunch that were orginally fairly green when Lurbyjo convinced me to join. I brought along my pirate partner Joe and he's turned them into quite the pirate corp, of course Ken, Lurbyjo's husband has done a great deal to turn many of our players into pvp veterans. Here's our
KB. Now I'll grant we aren't the best pvpers and we don't undock battleships and rarely battlecruisers. The reason for this is they are bitch to get out if caught, and on roams they slow you down considerably. But none the less we kill shit and we have fun and to be honest thats what I really care about.
Today.
Today couldn't have gone better as my twitter status reflects. I netted a total of 13 kills and 4 loses. Not too shabby especially when you hear the losses.
To start at the end. BYDI and FW were floating around Tama and generally just pissing us off after us killing many of them in a row. They finally leave we have 4 mins till cluster shut down when we get eyes on an Obleisk. He's fucking autopiloting through Tama. So we all say fuck it and try to gank the fuck out of him before cluster is gone. We got him through half armor and I lost my Thorax. It's not every day you get to shoot at a Freighter in lowsec much less one that is auto piloting. No biggie there I willing did not warp out, and had no problem doing so as I mentally prepared to lose that ship.
An hour earlier. FW came to fuck with us and they caught of our Vagas that got a little to cocky. In system there was a Drake and Ferox that were solo. We continually tried to catch them but to no avail. In the process of trying for the Drake I landed next to a FW crow and it was game over as I was blobbed. Hence I lost my Arbitrator.
This evening and noon time.
We began skirmishing with Foundation corp, Sons of Tangra alliance. This series of fights began with a Caracal kill that I caught in a belt. His Celetis friend came in to help and ofc I warped in our gang which consisted of a Caracal, 2 Rifters, and my Arbitrator. My Arbitrator made quick work of both Cruisers while the gang contributed with points and dps. I docked up to drop of the enemy Caracal's T2 loot and rep. As I undock the Celestis pilot is now in a Maller and he begins firing at my Arbitrator. With a 24km pt and Turret Disruptor loaded with a optimal disruption script I engage. My drones munch happily on his horrible setup and I get my self a solo Maller kill. The two Foundation pilots regroup and we engange them on another belt this time the Celestis pilot is in a Brutix that is fitted with rails and shield tanked (insert epic lol) and the Caracal pilot is in a Hawk. Both go down to our now Rifter, Arbitrator, Caracal, Thorax gang.
Before all this occurred a Perkone, Vexor pilot engages my Arbitrator off station. I think "Huh this could be fun." Our drones are shredding each other. He is using his guns to shoot me, but I disrupt. I'm using my guns to shoot his drones and it is making all the difference. He's in hull as a Falcon pilot uncloaks and jams me. So his guns start hitting and I pop. So of course the Falcon pilot is a BYDI fagg--player. I talk some shit to him that he can't deny he ignores me nuff said.
So I'm like alright that guy just wanted to be on the KM no biggie, I'll get that Vexor next time. I find him in a belt a couple hours later and I stupidly don't note that the BYDI player is still in system. We engage and the BYDI player uncloaks and jams me. So being the awesome player I am I overheat my MWD and run like a bitch, not wanting to fall victim to the same trap twice. This horrible player doesn't have a scram or web and can't keep up. I get out and proceed to talk even more shit in local, and I point out that BYDI uses 30 T2 cruisers to kill one T1 cruiser (true) and that they are such horrible pvpers they can't even engage in a fair fight (almost true but then again what pirate doesn't try to tip the fight into his favor). I just found it in bad taste to bring a Falcon out for an Arbitrator kill. I've never seen nor engaged a BYDI player solo and probably never will. In my opinion, they way they fight is hardly fun: bait, warp in 30 ships, point and pop anything we can. It takes no tactical skill at all. The only upside is we haven't been falling for their traps lately.
Rifter time.
So in being proficient in most T1 ships I can fly a Rifter. I've learned this ship can be a destructive force when used properly, that is against other frigs and Interceptors. Myself and a player blue to my corp are in our Rifters of Doom, looking for targets. Zach catches a T2 fitted Punisher and engages, I warp in as Zach gets out and I finish the job. Next we find another Rifter I engage Zach warps in. I go down due to rat aggro and Zach picks up where I left off. This bugger has a hell of a setup. Zach pops him just before the rats pop Zach. This player, Lee Dalton, comes back for round 2. Zach catches him this time I warp in. Lee takes rat aggro and Zach warps out. Round two done.
Now before we engaged the Foundation players above, Lee came back for some more. Round 3, I'm in my Arbitrator, Lee is in his Rupture. We approach I activate scram, web, and turret disrupt, or so I thought. my client minimizes as my anti virus software asks to update and I can't believe the timing. I tell it no shut the help up and go away. I maximize EVE and as I do my Thorax friend is in warp. I look at what's going on. He's still engaging me and I'm hold at 7km he's barely got me in armor. I successfully disrupt this time release drones and as the Thorax hits and watch the fireworks. Lee mentions how he would've won if the Thorax hadn't joined, but I inform him of my antivirus death and he concedes I probably would have won even without the Thorax. He comes back with some friends later but we never manage to engage due to FW whores.
About Noon-2pm.
Zach catches a Coercer at a belt, he's going down I come in with the Arby to save the day. We catch a Merlin our rifters pop him quick.
Last night.
We engage a Myrm that eventually kills a lot of us, well a couple of us including my Thorax, he gets out. Ken logs and by this point I'm flying my Arbitrator for the first time and running from an Arazu and Raven. I get out. Ken finds the Arazu and Raven at a planet along with 2 Harpies and a Wolf. We bring ECM and murder the Raven, Arazu and Wolf. I pretty much soloed the Wolf, Ken gave the command to take down the AFs as the Arazu was dead and the Raven was close.
We engage a Drake and reduce it to nothing. The group hits two Thoraxes and an Arbitrator while I'm afk watching Heroes, YATA!
Yesterday Noonish.
I get home from class, hop in my Thorax (Named Dildo + Engine) and head out. I get to a lonely nearly empty system and find a Thorax ratting. I approach and my Local panel rings out with a msg, "Hey are you ratting too?" I chuckle as I approach not sure if he's serious or joking. He was serious. IGTA and he calls out "Nope you're killing me." I reply lightheartedly "Yeah I'm not ratting bud, I make my money a different way."
Now I could go through the couple of roams that happened over the weekend but I don't remember the specifics so I'll give just a breif summary. Now TNPs don't particularly like to roam. Atleast they didn't till me and Joe started leaving Tama and dragging a few players with us that were tired of faction and BYDI blobs.
First roam goes well we engage the Tuskers on a station, which was a stupid call imo but I wasn't exactly calling the shots on this one rather just advising. And in all fairness it was an over excited scout that forced us to engage. Tuskers play a good docking game and kill a Caracal I think. God I really hate station camping. We leave and some dumb myrm pilot shoots a non blinky pilot getting gate gun aggro. We pounce and reduce his ship to a wreck. It was a big loss, 2 faction items and fully rigged for 162 mil.
Prior to that roam we pinned down a BYDI Drake in a belt. We were ready to warp out and were watching local religiously. Nothing came to his aid. We blew him to smithereens and went for the pod but missed. He bitched in local "You know if it wasn't for that ECM I would have won that fight, noobs." First, WHO THE FUCK SOLOS IN A DRAKE ROFL PWNT. Eh hemm. We then responded with the usual "Which is extactly why we brought it noob," "Yeah like BYDI doesn't ECM," or my favorite "Yes ECM is unfair, almost as unfair as a 40 man blob killing one cruiser."
Second roam I decided to hop on the FC bike. Well it's not a bike actually its far from a bike, because when you get back on you don't exactly remember how to ride the right way. Needless to say after some kinks and miscommunications we were acting as a fluid unit. We kept missing targets by literal nanoseconds. We get to Hevrice. We engage the Tuskers. Here's where I make two mistakes I won't be making again. First one is our bait is engaging and calling us I. I hesitate wanting to get the entire Tuskers fleet in warp first. This proves to be a mistake as our bait goes down. I should have listened to him, he knows his tank best. Second mistake was when I jumped us through I warped wing to the fleet, this stuck our 2 ECM boats in the thick of things. A big mistake. Most of us lose our ships and I feel like real shit as bitching begins.
The bait was particularly upset. But we do an After Action Debrief which goes well. We talk about what could have gone better and what we did right. Everybody was surprisingly pleased with the roam even though we didn't get a single kill and most of us lost ships. Everybody was cool understanding and relatively pleased with my performance. I hadn't FCed in over 10 months, since my days in Smashkill FCing 200 plus. Needless to say, I was far from content with my performance. I learned from some of the very best. Especially when it comes to small gang warfare. I felt like I let a lot of old of my old corp mates down with that showing and I am looking to make up for it. With today over and done with I fairly happy and feel I redeemed myself, especially with the BYDI Drake kill.
Here's some ship names some of you may get a laugh out of:
Rifter
Cardboardbox+engine
Thorax
Dildo + Engine
Arby
Flying VaJay
Note: I hope everyone takes this in good jest. We all get heated when we lose ships or kill something, that's why it's called smacktalk. I really despise BYDI for their tactics but they want kills just like the rest of us and tip the fights in their favor as much as possible. I don't think it's a fun way to fight and I can't crucify them for it either, but I can talk shit... :) flysafe.