Games have a certain magic about them, they can be used for relaxing, laughing, challenging, escaping or simply an excuse to meet with friends.
I use games for a mix of the above but without doubt the biggest draw is that they allow me to plan something controllable. I enjoy the figuring out then sorting out that a new game brings. As long as the game has unfulfilled promise then it will entice me to keep playing. As soon as it becomes overly repetitive then my interest wanes.
Eve Online has this depth that defies immediate understanding and hence keeps me interested. I have wandered through the game setting myself medium term goals that are reachable within weeks and avoided goals that require longer to bring to fruition. Up to now these have been a mix of learning to fly a ship, getting a jump clone, having enough reputation with a corporation to use a particular agents and most recently, learning how to invent tech 2 BPC.
This last goal is actually a double goal though I didn’t understand that at first. I want to be able to participate in the corporation tech 2 manufacturing by helping research BPC into Tech 2 BPC. This is largely a skill learning exercise that has taken me away from my learning to fly fast and hard with lots of guns. A side advantage of the invention is that you can carry out research projects of your own that produce data cores that can be sold. To do this you need to get reputation with a research company, MNEE uses Duvolle, a Gallente corporation so I stuck with them.
What I hadn’t figured out was that you don’t need all the skills required for invention to do the research. So as soon as high energy physics is trained to level 3 tonight I will be seeking out a Duvolle agent and asking him to do some research and hopefully riches await!
What I really wanted to say was that I am boring again with Eve or at least the grind rep with Duvolle Labs. I need another goal!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Deltole
Needless to say my current reading has diverted me from Eve. On Wednesday night we all gathered together to explore the depths of the local non-event dead space pocket in Deltole, Sinq Laison.
We were disappointed. I went along in an Exqueror armour reppar to ensure Draconica’s Myrmidon stayed healthy. Need not have bothered. All the mobs dropped the same loot (laser crystal, tech 1 drone and cap rechargers). To get into the final room you need to get keys from some of the spawns but there was nothing more interesting here. There are name cargo containers that you can’t open, we assume that if your have the archaeology skill you might be able to loot them.
This took the evening and took me away from the Duvolle Labs grind. Both characters continue to work towards the necessary skills to do the researching required for the corp
We were disappointed. I went along in an Exqueror armour reppar to ensure Draconica’s Myrmidon stayed healthy. Need not have bothered. All the mobs dropped the same loot (laser crystal, tech 1 drone and cap rechargers). To get into the final room you need to get keys from some of the spawns but there was nothing more interesting here. There are name cargo containers that you can’t open, we assume that if your have the archaeology skill you might be able to loot them.
This took the evening and took me away from the Duvolle Labs grind. Both characters continue to work towards the necessary skills to do the researching required for the corp
Die the Fire
My current reading material is not going to be winning the Man-Booker prize. I picked it up on Wednesday evening while waiting for a friends to turn up and to my surprise I have not got to sleep before 01.30 either night.
Pulp fantasy fiction end-of-the-world scenario, electricity and gun-powder stop working, no one knows why though they argue over whether it was giant space bats that turned of the toys. Set in the west of the USA, civilisation quickly recesses into the medieval ages, cue chain mail swords and arrows everywhere.
Entertaining and very light.
Pulp fantasy fiction end-of-the-world scenario, electricity and gun-powder stop working, no one knows why though they argue over whether it was giant space bats that turned of the toys. Set in the west of the USA, civilisation quickly recesses into the medieval ages, cue chain mail swords and arrows everywhere.
Entertaining and very light.
Monday, October 13, 2008
In Life
Funny weekend. One of my sisters phoned on Friday to say Mummy had tests done that returned a tumour. We were all meeting up in Dublin as a sister was coming over from London with her partner. We all met up on Saturday night and had dinner together which was wonderful. We then when to our grandmother’s for breakfast on Sunday before dropping Mummy back to the airport on Sunday.
It will be said to Roisin and her future cousin that the end of the Celtic Tiger was when their grandparents spent 1000euro to fly over for dinner.
On Friday night we went for dinner with friends that had lost a baby at six months. The mother was very upset and emotional. The night was a rollercoaster but it is only since have the implications hit home and have affected my wife, who is 4 months pregnant, quite visibly.
Mummy’s tests are today, results tomorrow and operation Wednesday or Thursday. We don’t know is chemotherapy or radio will be required.
Starting my yacht master theory course tonight.
It will be said to Roisin and her future cousin that the end of the Celtic Tiger was when their grandparents spent 1000euro to fly over for dinner.
On Friday night we went for dinner with friends that had lost a baby at six months. The mother was very upset and emotional. The night was a rollercoaster but it is only since have the implications hit home and have affected my wife, who is 4 months pregnant, quite visibly.
Mummy’s tests are today, results tomorrow and operation Wednesday or Thursday. We don’t know is chemotherapy or radio will be required.
Starting my yacht master theory course tonight.
In Eve
In Eve the Duvolle Lab grind continues. Unlike with previous corporation grinds (FIO and Chemal), I didn’t have to start with level 1 missions seeing as how my Gallente Federation reputation is high enough to get me a level 2 agent. I do still start at 0 reputation with the corporation but the reputation flows in much faster with higher level agents. Against this, I am sharing the reputation between two characters. However this reputation is not shared evenly, the handing in character gets the lion’s share of the reputation while the fleeting members get only a fraction of the main handout. Soon, I’ll have enough Gallente Federation reputation to start a corporation grind with a level 3 agent. I just checked, Chemal Tech has a storyline mission agent in Sukanan.
What has fallen behind is the research skill path, I really need to sit down with EveMon and work out a plan for both Slayfoe’s Bull and Carraig naTairbhe.
Slayfoe Duvolle Research 2.something
What has fallen behind is the research skill path, I really need to sit down with EveMon and work out a plan for both Slayfoe’s Bull and Carraig naTairbhe.
Slayfoe Duvolle Research 2.something
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Far too much research time
Things are a little slow this week at work so I have taken the opportunity to read up on my favourite pastime, Eve Online, and more specifically, manufacturing and research. I suspect that it would be possible to pick out the players that come from other games by which route they naturally take. Like a lot of people I entered MMORPG through World of Warcraft. I loved it but in the end it was all a bit shallow. Eve isn’t, at least not yet.
My first paid up character is Slayfoe’s Bull, a Gallentean special forces pilot and a bit handy with a small gun. He is as close to one dimensional as a first time player would get, by this I mean that almost all his skills are about flying ships to shoot other ships. Nothing wrong with this, it makes good money.
There is another approach, that of the industrialist, the maker of ships (and probably encourager of people who shoot up ships – good for business). Simple manufacturing is simply a matter of getting together materials and a blue print (BP), finding a factory and asking the factory to put it all together for you.
Above the simple (tech I) manufacturing is advanced manufacturing (tech II). This requires the player to invent an item (by researching a tech I BP) and combine a tech 1 version, more materials (some of them moon minerals some of them mined minerals) and R.A.M. (Robotic Assembly Manufactory?). it sounds simple until you realise what is required to research (invent) the tech I BP.
This process requires a character to either buy data-cores from the market or have them researched by an R&D agent for a company that has a research department, in Gallente space these companies are Creodrone, Roden and Duvolle. To use their agents you need to build reputation with them then ask them nicely to head us a research project for you that produces data-cores.
What I can’t figure out is why you don’t just research the data-cores and flog them on the market, the whole tech II research and manufacture seems to diminish returns, or I am missing something.
The up shot of this is that I’m thinking of availing of the ‘Power of 2’ promotion. This gives you a 2nd character for 6 months for 50€. I would make this character a researcher and grind rep with Duvolle using Slaybull. That way both would be able to use research agents and make a nice nest egg on the side while doing other stuff.
My first paid up character is Slayfoe’s Bull, a Gallentean special forces pilot and a bit handy with a small gun. He is as close to one dimensional as a first time player would get, by this I mean that almost all his skills are about flying ships to shoot other ships. Nothing wrong with this, it makes good money.
There is another approach, that of the industrialist, the maker of ships (and probably encourager of people who shoot up ships – good for business). Simple manufacturing is simply a matter of getting together materials and a blue print (BP), finding a factory and asking the factory to put it all together for you.
Above the simple (tech I) manufacturing is advanced manufacturing (tech II). This requires the player to invent an item (by researching a tech I BP) and combine a tech 1 version, more materials (some of them moon minerals some of them mined minerals) and R.A.M. (Robotic Assembly Manufactory?). it sounds simple until you realise what is required to research (invent) the tech I BP.
This process requires a character to either buy data-cores from the market or have them researched by an R&D agent for a company that has a research department, in Gallente space these companies are Creodrone, Roden and Duvolle. To use their agents you need to build reputation with them then ask them nicely to head us a research project for you that produces data-cores.
What I can’t figure out is why you don’t just research the data-cores and flog them on the market, the whole tech II research and manufacture seems to diminish returns, or I am missing something.
The up shot of this is that I’m thinking of availing of the ‘Power of 2’ promotion. This gives you a 2nd character for 6 months for 50€. I would make this character a researcher and grind rep with Duvolle using Slaybull. That way both would be able to use research agents and make a nice nest egg on the side while doing other stuff.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Standing of 4.99 with Chemal Tech
Well, after 2 nights in some good-forsaken end of Lonetrek working for a L3Q-9 Chemal Tech agent I got my standings up to 4.99. Tonight I make the long travel down to Sukanan and my new home working for the L3Q20 agent down there in low-sec space.
It means some re-organising of my trusty myrmidon to make it able to escape any pirates that come poking round my deadspace area - fitting warp core stabilisers really gimps your guns, fortunately they are only really there to show the drones which way to go :)
Some notes of interest in missioning for a Gallente corp in Caldari space. I had done 16 L3 missions and got a storeyline. The nearest storyline agent happened to be the other Chemal Tech station in the system. How many times had I hoped for this to happen, that the rep gain from the storyline mission would help towards the main goal! To explain further, when I mission out of Meis I get sent 3 times out of 4 to Halle to find some scordite or to Balle to help the Centre for Advanced Studies. I don't WANT any more rep with the Centre for Advanced Studies! i want rep for Chemal Tech.
Moral of the story: find an out of the way system with a mission agent and a storyline agent in the same corp.
It means some re-organising of my trusty myrmidon to make it able to escape any pirates that come poking round my deadspace area - fitting warp core stabilisers really gimps your guns, fortunately they are only really there to show the drones which way to go :)
Some notes of interest in missioning for a Gallente corp in Caldari space. I had done 16 L3 missions and got a storeyline. The nearest storyline agent happened to be the other Chemal Tech station in the system. How many times had I hoped for this to happen, that the rep gain from the storyline mission would help towards the main goal! To explain further, when I mission out of Meis I get sent 3 times out of 4 to Halle to find some scordite or to Balle to help the Centre for Advanced Studies. I don't WANT any more rep with the Centre for Advanced Studies! i want rep for Chemal Tech.
Moral of the story: find an out of the way system with a mission agent and a storyline agent in the same corp.
Monday, October 6, 2008
A New Alliance - System Shock Initiative
MNEE was part of an alliance called the New Eden Research Alliance when I joined. Unfortunately a bunch of pricks decided that the alliance was easy pickings and paid for an official war declaration. This allows one corporation to attack another corporation or alliance in Concord space. Needless to say this makes taking out expensive mission boats a bit tricky. After 2 weeks of this Smint, the effective corporation director, grabbed the bull by the horns and quit the alliance.
For a week we were a corporation without an alliance. We are still part of the Sukanan gang and have access to CVA Providence but that was it. Now to be fair, New Eden Research only existing to provide customers for a POS controlled by Smint and help pay the POS fuel bills. Not sure what is happening about Smint’s POS now.
On logging on over the weekend we all found some mail from Smint. He had negotiated access to a new alliance called System Shock Initiative. Will have to do some research on these boys, see where they are based out of and see if they do any alliance operations.
For a week we were a corporation without an alliance. We are still part of the Sukanan gang and have access to CVA Providence but that was it. Now to be fair, New Eden Research only existing to provide customers for a POS controlled by Smint and help pay the POS fuel bills. Not sure what is happening about Smint’s POS now.
On logging on over the weekend we all found some mail from Smint. He had negotiated access to a new alliance called System Shock Initiative. Will have to do some research on these boys, see where they are based out of and see if they do any alliance operations.
A flirt with Warhammer Online
I am blaming the slight pause in posts because of the issue of Warhammer Online. I succumbed and bought it, played it and got fed up with it. It is a great setting but I find it quite lonely after FWE. In the end it is the people you play with that makes a game rather than the game itself. I’ll play round with Warhammer till the end of the month but I won’t be taking out a subscription. The truth be told, after 1 week of Warhammer I logged back into Eve and started missioning again. I quite like the slow pace of Eve, the freedom to be on your own or to join corporation missioning. So good bye to my Ironbreaker, I got him to rank 14 or 15 and had fun with him.
The future still lies with internet spaceships and a capsuleer called Slayfoe’s Bull and his Myrmidon, Second Chance. Everyday I come into work and have a look at a scrap of paper beside my desk that has the skills priority list on it. This has many lines through items, many modifications and additions. As my mood changes so does it.
Currently my medium term plan is to get Chemal Tech rep high enough to go do level 3 missions in Sukanan with a Myrmidon. I finished Hull Upgrade V over the weekend (Tech II hardeners) and am debating which direction to go, medium tech II’s or more drone skills. Medium tech II’s allow me to maximise my Myrmidon skills so would be of more benefit short term, drone skills are for level 4 missions that I need to use a Dominix battleship for. When I see this written down there really isn’t any contest, medium guns it is.
So, level 3 missions in Endahoe until my Chemal Tech rep is 5.00 then the big move down to Sukanan and all the fun that will entail. While in Sukanan I’ll start the battleship L4 mission skills training programme.
It looks like my Ishkur assault ship is going to live in it's berth for a while.
The future still lies with internet spaceships and a capsuleer called Slayfoe’s Bull and his Myrmidon, Second Chance. Everyday I come into work and have a look at a scrap of paper beside my desk that has the skills priority list on it. This has many lines through items, many modifications and additions. As my mood changes so does it.
Currently my medium term plan is to get Chemal Tech rep high enough to go do level 3 missions in Sukanan with a Myrmidon. I finished Hull Upgrade V over the weekend (Tech II hardeners) and am debating which direction to go, medium tech II’s or more drone skills. Medium tech II’s allow me to maximise my Myrmidon skills so would be of more benefit short term, drone skills are for level 4 missions that I need to use a Dominix battleship for. When I see this written down there really isn’t any contest, medium guns it is.
So, level 3 missions in Endahoe until my Chemal Tech rep is 5.00 then the big move down to Sukanan and all the fun that will entail. While in Sukanan I’ll start the battleship L4 mission skills training programme.
It looks like my Ishkur assault ship is going to live in it's berth for a while.
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