Sister Mary headed through the night-time hospital with the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan and Lord of Darkness safely in her arms. She found a bassinet and laid him down in it. He gurgled. She gave him a tickle.
-- The antichrist is born
(Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens)
A little over six years ago, six years and fifteen days to be exact, a rather inexperienced writer took it upon himself to regale the world with his tales of bravado, violence and fun in the wonderful verse of New Eden.
Inspired by his good friend, the Master Blogger and at the time solo Pirate, flashfresh, he plunged headlong into the fantastic world of blogging.
This to some may seem as if it was an easy undertaking, but for someone who is dyslexic it was a challenge.
Another good friend, Soup Spoon helped him with grammar and was A Pirates Perspective's de facto editor for many years. 403 blog posts later, here we are :)
Here is the very first post I ever made, in all its noobish glory.
This however made me wonder, what is the oldest active blog about this marvellous game?
The waiting game
Remember when I recently said that Piracy requires preparation and patience?
Well, after scanning him down in his mission, setting up, watching this fella warp out multiple times due to his tank failing... And then waiting two hours for him to come back, only for him to warp in at zero on the mission, he micro jumps right on top of me... Well worth the wait.
Friday, 31 January 2014
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Sisters of Destruction
He wondered reflectively what would happen if you asked a nun where the
Gents was. Probably the Pope sent you a sharp note or something.
-- (Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens)
The life of a Pirate is a tough yet rewarding game, a lot of cat and mouse. Preparation is key, along with a great deal of patience. With these things in mind, a successful Pirate prepares his day, systems are scanned and traps baited.
The prey seeks riches, and they are to be found in relic and data sites around New Eden.
One of the verses more beneficial organisations recently launched a range of ships suited to exploration, the Sisters of EVE produced in great secrecy a frigate, cruiser and now a battleship, who's main purpose is to exploit exploration sites and plunder their riches.
The Astero is a Frigate designed for both exploration and combat
Traits Amarr Frigate skill bonus per level:
4% bonus to armor resistances
Gallente Frigate skill bonus per level:
20% bonus to drone hitpoints
Role Bonus:
100% reduction in CPU requirement for cloaking devices
37.5% increased strength for scan probes
+10 virus strength for Relic and Data Analyzers
Note: can fit covert ops cloaks and use covert jump portals
Development
This was one of the first vessels the Sisters of EVE made available to capsuleers. It had been under development by the Sanctuary corporation, whose interest in exploration includes not only search & rescue operations but also a constant inquiry into the nature of the EVE Gate. Thanks to the Sisters' efforts and the Sanctuary's particular expertise, the Astero is an agile, tenacious ship that aptly adheres to the mantra of both rescuers and explorers: Stay safe, stay hidden, and use every tool at your disposal.
It is particularly adept at venturing into dangerous territories, not merely in recovering whatever may be of interest but also in being able to safely bring it back. Its engines have alternate power sources that come into play should any of its cargo - for which it has plenty of room - cause serious interference with internal systems. Its carapace is extremely well armored for a ship this agile, and covered in sensors capable of letting its crew track a myriad of different organic signatures. The crew itself is safely protected from any number of transmittable ailments from rescues and other unexpected passengers, thanks to special quarantine bays that are conveniently located near jettisonable openings.
And lastly, an ingenious but cryptic transfer in part of the warp core functionality to an outlying cylindrical structure means the Astero is able to run certain higher-level cloaking functions with very little technical cost, and minimal interference from warp. The Sisters of EVE have refused to comment on this technology, other than to recommend it not be tampered with.
The Astero is the perfect exploration vessel and I was almost expecting to see every relic and data hunter in the universe flying them. Strangely enough that has not been the case, So I took it upon myself to introduce the locals to the grand nature of the Astero, exploit the explorers.
Anatomy of a Hunt
As I mentioned earlier, a hunt requires two key elements, preparation and patience.
In preparation, the systems surrounding my home of Gusandall are regularly scanned, bookmarks are made of all sites.
All my associates have perfect skills for scanning, some with full Virtue and Poteque scanning implants. However with the Astero, my perfect scanning skills and just simple Sisters Core Scanner Probes, I am able to hunt almost independently with further range.
My standard fit is dual propped with a web and laser, but the nature of the hunted necessitates a few minor changes. The introduction of the mobile depot means you can refit on the fly as you wish.
Whether by patrolling your traps, or by using scouts, once a target presents itself it becomes a game of patience.
Scan probes are spotted in Eifer, a likely customer appears on the local comms list. I move in and wait.
As with most things, patience does pay off and my target warps in, ready to hack and analyse his way to fame and fortune.
I engage thrusters under cloak and close the gap... Cloak drops, target resolves and dual scrams kick in, Hobgoblins in space, they race to engage.
The target quite literally melts under a barrage of thermal death rays emanating from the Astero's drone death squad. Not so much an explosion, more like a soap bubble popping, bits of molten metal spraying against my Sisters of Destruction space boat.
The escape pod jettisons but the Astero is a fast locker. Terms are offered...
Terms are declined unceremoniously and negotiations violently end.
All that's left is to scoop the loot, the corpse and remove any evidence
Clean up, leave no footprint, let the trap lie in wait once more.
Once back home, you can now see why dual scrams have become necessary. it seems sales of warp core stabilisers have increased.
This is Piracy, pure and simple, the purest form of my trade, whilst it isn't as lucrative as the days of old, it still makes ISK, take everything, give nothing back.
A little lesson learnt at EVE University
-- (Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens)
The life of a Pirate is a tough yet rewarding game, a lot of cat and mouse. Preparation is key, along with a great deal of patience. With these things in mind, a successful Pirate prepares his day, systems are scanned and traps baited.
The prey seeks riches, and they are to be found in relic and data sites around New Eden.
One of the verses more beneficial organisations recently launched a range of ships suited to exploration, the Sisters of EVE produced in great secrecy a frigate, cruiser and now a battleship, who's main purpose is to exploit exploration sites and plunder their riches.
Astero
The Astero is a Frigate designed for both exploration and combat
Traits Amarr Frigate skill bonus per level:
4% bonus to armor resistances
Gallente Frigate skill bonus per level:
20% bonus to drone hitpoints
Role Bonus:
100% reduction in CPU requirement for cloaking devices
37.5% increased strength for scan probes
+10 virus strength for Relic and Data Analyzers
Note: can fit covert ops cloaks and use covert jump portals
Development
This was one of the first vessels the Sisters of EVE made available to capsuleers. It had been under development by the Sanctuary corporation, whose interest in exploration includes not only search & rescue operations but also a constant inquiry into the nature of the EVE Gate. Thanks to the Sisters' efforts and the Sanctuary's particular expertise, the Astero is an agile, tenacious ship that aptly adheres to the mantra of both rescuers and explorers: Stay safe, stay hidden, and use every tool at your disposal.
It is particularly adept at venturing into dangerous territories, not merely in recovering whatever may be of interest but also in being able to safely bring it back. Its engines have alternate power sources that come into play should any of its cargo - for which it has plenty of room - cause serious interference with internal systems. Its carapace is extremely well armored for a ship this agile, and covered in sensors capable of letting its crew track a myriad of different organic signatures. The crew itself is safely protected from any number of transmittable ailments from rescues and other unexpected passengers, thanks to special quarantine bays that are conveniently located near jettisonable openings.
And lastly, an ingenious but cryptic transfer in part of the warp core functionality to an outlying cylindrical structure means the Astero is able to run certain higher-level cloaking functions with very little technical cost, and minimal interference from warp. The Sisters of EVE have refused to comment on this technology, other than to recommend it not be tampered with.
The Astero is the perfect exploration vessel and I was almost expecting to see every relic and data hunter in the universe flying them. Strangely enough that has not been the case, So I took it upon myself to introduce the locals to the grand nature of the Astero, exploit the explorers.
Anatomy of a Hunt
As I mentioned earlier, a hunt requires two key elements, preparation and patience.
In preparation, the systems surrounding my home of Gusandall are regularly scanned, bookmarks are made of all sites.
All my associates have perfect skills for scanning, some with full Virtue and Poteque scanning implants. However with the Astero, my perfect scanning skills and just simple Sisters Core Scanner Probes, I am able to hunt almost independently with further range.
My standard fit is dual propped with a web and laser, but the nature of the hunted necessitates a few minor changes. The introduction of the mobile depot means you can refit on the fly as you wish.
Whether by patrolling your traps, or by using scouts, once a target presents itself it becomes a game of patience.
Scan probes are spotted in Eifer, a likely customer appears on the local comms list. I move in and wait.
As with most things, patience does pay off and my target warps in, ready to hack and analyse his way to fame and fortune.
I engage thrusters under cloak and close the gap... Cloak drops, target resolves and dual scrams kick in, Hobgoblins in space, they race to engage.
The target quite literally melts under a barrage of thermal death rays emanating from the Astero's drone death squad. Not so much an explosion, more like a soap bubble popping, bits of molten metal spraying against my Sisters of Destruction space boat.
The escape pod jettisons but the Astero is a fast locker. Terms are offered...
Terms are declined unceremoniously and negotiations violently end.
All that's left is to scoop the loot, the corpse and remove any evidence
Clean up, leave no footprint, let the trap lie in wait once more.
Once back home, you can now see why dual scrams have become necessary. it seems sales of warp core stabilisers have increased.
This is Piracy, pure and simple, the purest form of my trade, whilst it isn't as lucrative as the days of old, it still makes ISK, take everything, give nothing back.
A little lesson learnt at EVE University
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Stop... It's Vader Time!
There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you.
-Darth Vader
New tattoo today.
-Darth Vader
New tattoo today.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
The good ole days
Quote #664.
"There must be a hundred silver dollars in here," moaned Boggis, waving a purse. "I mean, that's not my league. That's not my class. I can't handle that sort of money. You've got to be in the Guild of Lawyers or something to steal that much."
-- (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters)
A class act back in the day. I do miss the old Bounty channel crew
"There must be a hundred silver dollars in here," moaned Boggis, waving a purse. "I mean, that's not my league. That's not my class. I can't handle that sort of money. You've got to be in the Guild of Lawyers or something to steal that much."
-- (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters)
A class act back in the day. I do miss the old Bounty channel crew
Sunday, 12 January 2014
The Snare
Quote #595.
The world is made up of four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. This is a fact well known even to Corporal Nobbs. It's also wrong. There's a fifth element, and generally it's called Surprise.
-- (Terry Pratchett, The Truth)
Hunting and trapping are the bread and butter of lowsec Piracy, over the years it has become more difficult but none the less still remains one of the most rewarding endeavours in the universe, not so much financially any more but more from the perspective of job satisfaction.4
One of my favourite past times has always been taking on opponents under gunned, by which I mean I take something that is obviously inferior and then school the opponent on the error of their ways.
So when a Manticore is spotted dropping combat probes in the area my interest is piqued. My associates had already probed most the area except Auren. SO when the Manticore is reported jumping there one of my associates quickly heads over and probes the system. Only two data sites but one of them contains a Gallente frigate wreck.
I start to operate under the assumption that the Manticore is lying in wait for some unsuspecting explorer to try hack the site, where he would then uncloak and rain down destruction on the defenceless ship. I quickly look around my hangar for something that would fit the bill.
Enter the:
Probe
The Probe is a Frigate designed for exploring the depths of space.
Traits
Minmatar Frigate skill bonus per level:
7.5% increase to scan strength of probes
5% bonus to Salvager cycle time
Role Bonus:
+5 Virus Strength to Relic and Data Analyzers
Development
The Probe is large compared to most Minmatar frigates and is considered a good scout and cargo-runner. Uncharacteristically for a Minmatar ship, its hard outer coating makes it difficult to destroy, while the limited weapon hardpoints force it to rely on drone assistance if engaged in combat.
A few of you will know the Probe is my favourite brawling ship, and a very effective one it is, but it looks so innocent and it's bonuses make it a perfect explorer.
I warp to the site, but I know just sitting there isn't going to spring the trap, so I gingerly place the bait, I activate an e-war module on the data container to make it look like I'm attempting to hack.
The snare is set, now it's just a matter of time...
It takes no time at all as the Stealth Bomber drops cloak and engages.
I light up my propulsion mod and close the gap, overloaded web and scram glowing green, my usual tactic with this ship won't work here so I go eyeball to eyeball and vaporise the Manticore.
An insignificant fight, but it was the build up that made it worth it.
And now a question:
Is blogging about EVE still relevant?
My thoughts have been veering towards this more often as EVE streaming picks up steam, eve videos have become almost the norm, is it human nature to pick the easier, more bling route of entertainment? All flashy lights and for the most part crappy music.
Is blogging, like solo piracy becoming something of myth and legend?
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Well i guess it didn't help that local window is currently broken and doesn't show any kind of standing info.
Note to self : Take more time to check intel before engaging in any activity.