LightTraveler grows fangs

Been a while since I have posted, particularly because I felt like I did not have anything new or informative to share.

However, as several blog followers and also corp-mates have mentioned recently: "What do you mean you have nothing to share? What about your new NullSec and PvP experiences?".

Well, although it may certainly not be informative, it would nonetheless be a chronicle of my experience in nullsec/Providence. So, here is a quick update on all-things Provi (while trying hard not to give up any sensitive info).

As most know by now, I have joined up with my long-time WSpace friends and allies over at SI Radio Corp/Planet Risk. We are located in Providence, specifically in the H-K4WA constellation. We have a unique relationship there with NOIR., and reside in the pocket with the LSS Alliance.

We are a large enough corp to essentially field a squad 24/7, which allows us to defend the pocket and make regional roams around Provi. For a NullSec n00b like me, that has meant diving head-first into PvP, an area where I am untested.

My first experience in Provi was simply to get settled in and get everything I felt I needed/wanted down in Provi relocated from HighSec. The first lesson learned, as in real life, don't overpack. If you are going to join a Nullsec corp that provides ships and fittings for Ops, then you probably do NOT need to bring every ship in your personal arsenal. I simply brought down a CovOps, a Drake, and Domi, and a Viator. I also constructed one of my Tengu kits once I got down there. My biggest mistake was bringing a good portion of my invention and production goods - we already have ample industrialists in the corp, and essentially anything you need, you corp mail the request to have it baked.

Once I got settled, the first thing I did was make 3 safespots in every system in the HK pocket, the "pipeline" to Mista, and the surrounding Provi systems.

Next, I simply began running local anom's in the pocket, as we were trying to max out our military index. Plenty of ISK in NullSec to be made on running NPC sites, especially when you get your system index up to max and you can run top-end, respawning sites over...and over...and over, etc. We also get wormhole spawns, which are quickly capitalized upon and squeezed for max possible ISK extraction ;-P

I was in the pocket maybe for a week when I felt the pull of PvP. Every time a neutral enter the pocket, the local Intel channels lit up and small squads were formed to nail the intruder(s). It was obvious that most of the regional veterans had a well-practiced protocol, with pre-assigned roles, ships, etc.

I really wanted to participate, but thought I could add little value. That is until I realized I could immediately join as a scout. With all of my covert ops skills and practiced hand at dodging gatecamps and cloak-warp trickery, I began asking to join SI Radio and NOIR. roams as a scout. I quickly began learning the vernacular and protocol of joining fleets and stepping into a role. I participated more and more as the pilot that gets sent several systems ahead of the roam to report back intel to the fleet. It was an easy fit to be the slippery pilot that can avoid getting killed while scanning down potential targets and reporting back to the fleet.

However, reporting intel successfully also means that you are also not getting in on the battles (and of course killmails). I would occasionally be in a position to watch the battles unfold, but with no offensive or defensive capabilities, I could not get in directly on the action. Thus began my PvP skill training crash course. My main and Alt began a new skill training regiment. One for tackling skills, the other as an EWAR master.

Roll forward 2 months and I have now participated in more than 2 dozen roams and ops, and have been able to continue to add value as a scout, but I have begun introducing my favorite ship of the moment - the trusty Rifter, in some of the more recent ops. I have even managed to collect a perfect record of 7 Kills, 0 Losses! I attribute the perfect score to PURE LUCK as and/or simply not being important or expensive enough to bother targeting. Lolz.

But LightTraveler has been officially blooded, and he likes it...immensely. I get it now. I can now at least understand all of those pilots that flame the industrialists for not embracing Eve for what they see as the only thing to do in Eve: Kill, attack, pillage. It is certainly a rush, getting that lock, webbing and warp scrambling the target, even catching the pod and sending the pilot to his next clone. I still think that Eve is more than just PvP, but now that I have (finally) tasted that aspect of Eve, I can certainly say I have been missing out on a lot of fun. Until now...

Shout out to my corp-mates for helping LT grow fangs and taste the blood of the enemy...

Fly Safe?!?!

PI: KSpace versus WSpace Planet Yields

I have surveyed more than 300 planets in HighSec and LowSec to date, and have recently been surveying the WSpace's that have been spawning out of the Provi area.

Although there are some obvious increases in resource yields when you dive deeper into LowSec, the increase is nothing when compared to the increase in resource yields you see in most WH systems.

For the more abundant resources, there is certainly no lack of supply in LowSec or WSpace. So talking specifically about the rarest resources (Felsic Magma, Reactive Gas, and Autotrophs), of the last 10 or so WH systems I have surveyed, at least 6 of them have seen amazing yields for these rare resources. I have begun measuring resource availability on a rough percentage scale when viewing Planet Mode in the scan tab, where you are looking at the horizontal resource bars. Most High and LowSec Lava planets, for example, show Felsic Magma in the 0-20% range. The last 4 WSpace lava planets I have surveyed have consistently had in excess of 60%. We actually had a Class 3 Wspace open this week that had every planet, including 2 temperate and 2 Lava. This system had Felsic, Reactive, and Autotrophs over 75%.

If not for the fact that the C3 system had only a single static to NullSec, it would have been the most ideal PI system I have seen to date.

Bottom Line: it clearly looks to me like WSpace is the best location for PI. You do not even need a POS. Drop in a scanning Alt and a Hauler Alt, either one skilled for PI, and you can configure your resource chains for maintenance every 2-3 days.

Fly Safe!

Final EVE Planetary Interaction Products

Some good posts on the eve (pun intended) of the Tyrannis release regarding How-To's, Video demonstrations, etc., but I thought I would re-post what I thought was the most important information: The final list of products that can be made with PI (reference and adapted from Eve University Wiki on PI):

POS Fuels

Not actually manufactured, but an intermediate planetary product. Usable immediately as POS fuel

• Coolant
• Enriched Uranium
• Mechanical Parts
• Oxygen
• Robotics

T2 parts

Most T2 manufacturing uses a PI good. Mainly P2 and P3.

• Construction Blocks
• Consumer Electronics
• Transmitter
• Guidance Systems
• Robotics
• Miniature Electronics
• Super Conductor

Miscellaneous

Created with Blueprint and PI products

• Nanite Repair Paste

Sovereignty Structures

Created with Blueprints and P4 products.

• Infrastructure Hub
• Sovereignty Blockade Unit
• Territorial Claim Unit

Starbase Structures

Created with Blueprints and P4 products.

• Assembly Array
• Control Towers
• Corporate Hangar Array
• Cynosural Generator Array
• Cynosural System Jammer
• Electronic Warfare Batteries
• Energy Neutralizing Array
• Hybrid Turret Batteries
• Jump Bridges
• Laser Turret Batteries
• Missile Batteries
• Mobile Laboratory
• Moon Harvesting Array
• Projectile Turret Batteries
• Reactors
• Refining Arrays
• Shield Hardening Arrays
• Ship Maintenance Arrays
• Silos
• System Scanning Arrays

Settling in (in Provi)

As you can tell, my WSpace posts have dried up lately. That is primarily due to the fact that I have been helping the corp prepare for WSpace operations out of our new base in Providence. Although we have not begun running full fleet ops yet, I have managed to be opportunistic to regional Class 3 WH's popping up from time to time and "day tripping" in to run a few sites.

My big surprise the other day running a Class 3 with a corpmate was the relatively normal Melted Nano drop rate but the extremely high "Blue Salvage" (e.g. NPC Buy Order salvage) - it amounted to 3x the total yield from T3 sleeper salvage. I had not heard of changes in drop rates, so I will chalk it up to pure chance for now.

For those interested, this is my first foray into a "large" (50+) member corp. This is also my first venture into being based out of Null-sec. As such, learning about regional Intelligence channels, joining roams, avoiding roaming hostile gangs, etc. has quickly become commonplace, and I am enjoying it immensely. Getting used to communicating on Vent is also new, and has spurred some funny exchanges with Mrs. Star Defender.

Wormhole Ops starting soon(tm)...

Fly Safe

EVE Parodies, by Luminus Aardokay of SI Radio

OK, I do not often get the chance on this blog to post about truly gut-busting, hilarious examples of how creative and ingenious some pilots can be. So it is with great pleasure to provide, for your guaranteed amusement, the link to the following EVE Parodies. My favorite is the one posted today, entitled:

"Bye CVA"

Link to post: [Oh my Pod] Parody songs that will make your pod crack

Fly Safe!

Yep, consolidating sucks

I think I have found one particular EVE function that I dislike even more than mining - consolidating.

How I keep ending up with various ships and fittings and ammo and loot all over the various reaches of EVE is intriguing. Although random exits from WSpace is obvious, I typically make sure I complete my run(s) to market or quickly grab an exit in the next day or two to "clean up". But still, I have various crap in hangars at no less that 40 stations!

I would love to clear up my Assets view - there must be some skill to be learned to be able to remotely issue "Trash It" to countless stations???

I managed to hand over my most recent WSpace to a reader (Free!) and that turned out to be good karma, as they also bought the entirety of my Large POS package (Over 1B ISK, including fuel). This saved them some ISK (I charged less than NPC/Jita) and saved me a bunch of time transporting to Jita for sale. Best of luck to the new owners of my WSpace kit...

That being said, I am all set for my move to Provi, including transferring my EXPLI and GSTN corps to alts and dropping roles in advance of joining my new brethren.

Fly Safe!

All packed up

I was able to dismantle the large POS deployment tonight and managed to hit a nice HighSec exit to The Forge region via my adjoining system. Everything was nicely uneventful and everything is at a HighSec base, 4 jumps from Jita.

Plan is to sell off all of the POS gear, including the Refineries, Hangars, Arrays, all defenses, and even the Hybrid Reactions gear. I will not be needing any of that in Provi (for now at least). Quite a bit of POS gear I have managed to collect over the last year.

Many people have asked and yes, I will still be running WSpace sites and posting to this blog about future WSpace experiences, albeit mostly C5 and C6 now and with the SI Radio team out of NullSec in a true "Mongolian" (aka Raiding Party) format.

Looking forward to getting set up - more soon...

Fly Safe