Bubbles and birds

At last, there is something to shoot. Another scout through the neighbouring systems shows the strategic cruisers have gone, replaced by some small warp bubbles. That's a neat trick. Fin and I launch our Manticore stealth bomber squad and ostentatiously waste some faction torpedoes clearing the bubbles away from the high-sec exit wormhole in the class 1 w-space system. Even with a pair of target painters lighting them up, our torpedoes struggle to inflict much damage on the small bubbles. But we destroy all three of them, enjoying the explosions and vandalism of it all.

Being stealthy, we lurk in the system to monitor any activity. There seem to be some ship movements occuring at the tower in the C1, looking like more trips will be made to high-sec and, one imagines, back again. With Fin keeping track of what is coming in and out I head back to our tower to swap in to my Onyx heavy interdictor, fitted with a cloak for improved lurking. Once back in the C1 and sitting quietly on the wormhole, Fin returns to the tower to get her Nighthawk fleet command ship to add some firepower. I plan to keep my Onyx cloaked to see if any ships coming in try to run away from Fin's Nighthawk. If they jump back through the wormhole then there is nothing I could have done, but if they try to run I can decloak and activate my HIC's bubble to snare them, hopefully causing them to panic and make a mistake.

Before Fin returns, a Heron warps to the wormhole. It drops a new, medium warp bubble on the wormhole before jumping through to high-sec. I watch, cloaked, and relay the information. I'm not sure why they want to restrict their own movements through the wormhole, but they clearly miss the bubbles we recently shot. And then the wormhole flares again, a ship entering from the other side. It is a different Heron, quickly followed by the bubble-dropping Heron. Oh, excellent, that makes the second one polarised. I drop my cloak and activate my bubble, impatiently waiting for the sensor calibration delay from the cloak to wear off so I can target the two frigates.

One Heron knows what he is doing and simply moves away and cloaks. My systems cannot lock and I can't move quickly enough to try to bump in to him to drop his cloak. The second Heron is not so quick, my systems locking on to his ship. I open fire and move towards him, to try to keep the faster ship within my bubble and prevent him warping, and his frigate pops without him escaping the bubble. Sadly, his ship explodes a moment before Fin drops out of warp, but at least her Nighthawk can help despatch his tiny pod, solving his polarisation problem by sending him back to empire space.

We loot the wreck and I am happy to find a dozen Sister's scanning probes that I claim for personal use. Rather than beating a hasty retreat, we loiter in the pocket. The earlier reconnoitre didn't see any ship more threatening than a Hurricane battlecruiser, which we can comfortably defeat, and we are rather interested in seeing what response our attack provokes. What I don't quite expect is for someone else to come through the wormhole from high-sec, particularly not someone from the same corporation. A pilot who left earlier in a shuttle is now in an Osprey, and I activate my warp bubble and we both engage the ship. He quickly flees back to high-sec, but it makes me wonder if people in this corporation actually talk to each other.

Fin jumps through to high-sec to find no sign of the pilot in the disturbingly open local channel. The C1 remains quiet. I return to our home system, getting back safely, whilst Fin pokes a few high-sec miners. When Fin follows she tells me that the high-sec wormhole is now critically unstable. It has been unstable since finding it, but now it is becoming precarious to jump through in anything big. Actually, Fin doesn't quite tell me that as much as accidentally announce it in the w-space local channel, in what I consider to be some excellent if unintentional smack talk. Imagine, if you will, that mean aggressors have just attacked and podded one of your pilots, then one of them says out of the blue, 'Heh, I just crit'd the WH'. That's got to be insulting.

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Tags: eve online, heron, hurricane, manticore, mmorpg, nighthawk, onyx, osprey, penny ibramovic, pvp, scanning, w-space

Circling wormholes

There is still nothing happening. I go out in my Buzzard scanning boat to entertain myself looking for sites. The neighbouring class 4 w-space system is my first destination, scanning every last signature to look for anything of interest. There are some good sites to run if we get a fleet together, but no surprises. I jump in to the connecting C3 system and scan this one too. The C4 has enough sites and better profit to keep us busy, if we get busy, but having the sites bookmarked may be good for later ambushes. I have almost mapped the entirety of two connecting systems and still all is quiet. Oh, except there is a new wormhole in the C3, how exciting!

The appearance of the new wormhole is particularly interesting because I was down to resolving the final two signatures in the system, and now there are three. The wormhole has only just been opened, making it no surprise when it turns out to be a K162. My directional scanner shows no probes in the C3, so I assume the scanner has found the wormhole in the connecting system and warped to it, then continued to scan. I rush back across the C4 to our home system, swap in to my Malediction interceptor, and go back hopefully to lie in wait for a scanning boat to pounce on. Having to travel across two systems and return the same way means I am too slow, and when I jump Sad Panda in to the C3 there are probes on d-scan. I wait for the session change timer to expire then jump back to the C4, camping that wormhole instead.

I may be a while sitting on the C4 side of this wormhole. There are quite a lot of signatures to resolve in the C3. There is also no guarantee that the scanner will jump in to this class 4 system, perhaps keener to go through the other wormhole to the class 1 system, where he is more likely to find a good exit to empire space. Indeed, my patience at sitting still wears out and, out of curiosity, I jump my Malediction back in to the C3. There are no probes on scan, so he has probably gone the other way. I warp to the C3's static wormhole and jump in to the C1, to find the recently lazy system now has a Tengu and Proteus on d-scan. There are no accompanying Sleeper wrecks, though. I'm not sure what is going on but I don't think I want to find out in my uncloaked interceptor. What I can do instead is poke my nose through the K162 in the C3 to see where these ships likely came from.

The three extra-large ship assembly arrays catch my eye on d-scan, swiftly followed by the Tengu strategic cruiser, Thanatos carrier, Rorqual capital industrial ship, Orca industrial command ship, Moros dreadnought, and, well, plenty of other ships that may not be quite as threatening but equally display the resources available to these capsuleers. It's good to know who is around, at least, and I jump back in to the C3. I return to our home system and tower safely and rest, hoping more of the corporation will be around later.

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Tags: buzzard, eve online, malediction, mmorpg, moros, orca, penny ibramovic, proteus, rorqual, scanning, tengu, thanatos, w-space

How to be useful in w-space

People are always asking me¹ how they can make a useful contribution to an established w-space corporation. There appear to be concerns about knowledge, experience, and skills that all need to be improved before feeling ready to leave empire space behind. Knowledge can best be imparted by closer connections with the corporation, experience can only be gained whilst in w-space, and waiting for skill training to be optimal is like chasing your tail. In my view, there are two simple skills that can ensure a capsuleer is a valuable member of a w-space corporation: scanning and salvaging.

Nothing can happen in w-space without scanning. Combat and mining sites need to be scanned locally, and wormholes need to be scanned to be able to move between systems. Without scanning, everyone would just warp between celestial objects and marvel at the emptiness of space. There are a few key skills to improve scanning and they don't take too long to learn, making it quick enough to train. Experience at scanning can be gained with practice safely in high-sec, finding exploration sites or maybe the occasional wormhole. Only a basic frigate needs to be piloted to scan successfully, as long as the capsuleer understands the importance of and how to make safe-spots.

Whilst nothing can be done without scanning, profit cannot be made without salvaging. There are no bounties on Sleeper ships, and whilst most of the salvage from the wrecks is not particularly valuable there are some gems. And it would be churlish to go to the trouble of looting the wrecks without salvaging them. Although we occasionally fly with a combat salvaging boat, this is normally done because we lack numbers and don't want to leave our loot to be collected later in a system that has active connections. But with a dedicated salvaging boat following behind us we wouldn't need to. The combat fleet warps to the site, clears out the Sleepers, and calls in the salvager. As the salvager collects all our loot, the rest of the fleet moves to the next site. It is quite efficient. And every active participant in an operation, regardless of their involvement, gets a full share of the profits. Basic salvaging skills and the ability to pilot destroyers is all that is required to help a fleet become more efficient.

It is true that more and improved skills will prove valuable, but the above skills are all that is needed to begin to contribute. Once out in w-space and scanning and salvaging, other skills can be trained. Archaeology and hacking can help a dedicated salvager collect loot from the Sleeper artefacts and databanks. Covert operation boats will increase scanning speed and accuracy, and covert operation cloaks will allow moving and warping freely whilst cloaked. And after that, training for battlecruisers, battleships, logistic ships, and all the weapon, electronic, and engineering support skills can be improved. A battlecruiser pilot with good core and appropriate support skills can start to contribute to Sleeper combat, whilst training inexorably progresses towards the next goal.

And it's not just Sleeper operations that can benefit from an extra pilot. Combat against other pilots always benefits from greater numbers, and there is an important role that a scanner can play. Even without combat experience or skills, a capsuleer in covert operations boat with an equivalent cloaking device can monitor and relay intelligence about enemy movements. It may not seem like much, but it is vital in order to remain in control of the battlespace.

I had a brief stint in a corporation that roamed low-sec. I wasn't terribly successful, missing out on most action and not being comfortable enough with the new environment to feel I could contribute. That corporation was offered an opportunity in null-sec and they took it, at which point I said I wasn't ready and went back to the safety of high-sec space. The corporation's boss said that a capsuleer will never be ready unless they make the move, and I understand now what he meant. I felt the same way about the null-sec move then as I did when my corporation wanted to set up a station in w-space, nervous and timid. But the corporation seemed good and I wanted to belong, so I suppressed my anxieties and volunteered. If I had done that with the previous corporation I may be living in null-sec now, but I have no regrets and w-space life suits me well. The jump just needed to be made.

Moving from empire space to w-space is a change, and one that you probably can't quite prepare for. But it doesn't mean you can't feel or be useful. With only a couple of key skills trained it is possible to become an asset to a w-space corporation quickly, and experience will be gained to improve the trained skills. Whilst performing the more fundamental tasks, skill training can progress to different ends whilst further knowledge and experience accumulates. Before you know it, you'll be calling w-space your home and wondering what the fuss was originally all about.

1. One person asked someone else, who then forwarded me the message.
Return to post.

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Tags: eve online, mmorpg, w-space

Looking to cause trouble

The early bird gets the worm. Sadly this bird is not early enough to catch yesterday's static wormhole and roam for unsuspecting targets. However, there is a mail alert blinking at me. Our scan man disappeared through a stable wormhole that unexpectedly collapsed before he could return, and he is trapped in empire space with no way home. I need to scan anyway, now I have a purpose.

I find our new static wormhole and jump through to a system I visited about five weeks ago. It was unoccupied then and it is unoccupied now. My comparitive method of scanning locates the system's static wormhole on my first choice of signature to resolve and, after noting the large number of anomalies in this system that we could clear if we get a fleet together, I jump through to a class 3 system. This C3 is occupied, a Bestower and Impel showing along with the tower on the directional scanner. Finding the tower also finds the ships, so my hopes are thwarted of their collecting gas or ore, or making a run to empire space that I could rudely interrupt.

Scan, scan, scan. So many signatures, but the potential of using the sites to locate targets later motivates me to be thorough. I find a low-sec static exit wormhole and then a static C1 connection amongst the sites and, with still no activity in my current system, jump through to explore more w-space. The class 1 system is occupied and has ships visible on d-scan, as well as a can named 'we're recruiting, ask in local'. I'll be sure to enquire. I locate and warp to the tower, seeing eleven ships sitting inside its shields. The ships range from shuttles to a Hurricane battlecruiser, so nothing particularly menacing, and only a Moa cruiser is piloted.

Two Badger Mk IIs warp in to the tower as I continue scanning w-space. With only three signatures I am guessing they have come from an exit wormhole, and that's probably where they are leaving to again right now. I resolve the wormhole and warp to it, but not quickly enough to see them jump. The wormhole is a high-sec exit, which is excellent for getting our scan man back, but maybe not for ambushes. It is also unstable, although not critical and not at the end of its life. The only other signature in the system, not counting the wormhole I entered through, is also a wormhole, a K162 that actually is critical and EOL. I warp back to the high-sec exit, jump, dock, and contract a copy of the bookmarks to our isolated colleague, before heading home.

As I jump in to w-space a Hoarder industrial ship warps to the wormhole and jumps to high-sec. I hold my cloak and wait for it to leave before warping away. There isn't long before the galaxy gets rebooted, and I always seem to misgauge travel times, but the temptation is strong. I get back to our tower and swap in to my Onyx heavy interdictor, hoping to catch someone in a bubble. Travelling back to the C1 I make a silly mistake, warping directly to the wormhole instead of dropping out of warp 10 km away from it. Because of this, I need to move away and reposition myself before I can cloak instead of getting set-up immediately. It doesn't matter, though, as the pair of Badger Mk IIs warp to my position as I turn my Onyx around.

These haulers are safe and I know it. They are simply going to jump to high-sec and warp away, but I try to get a positive lock with my weapon systems anyway, inflating my warp bubble as a token gesture to invoke panic. The two industrial ships remain invulnerable to my systems until they drop out of warp, at which point they jump through the wormhole without delay or danger. I'm not sure I've achieved anything, except potentially isolating myself from the home system in a ship that cannot scan. I drop my bubble and warp and jump as quickly as I can along the route home. I can see the seconds tick down before consciousness will abruptly stop, and it is with relief that I make the final jump and see my ship appear in our home system. I fail to warp to our tower before the reboot, but at least I am home. There are times when I need to think more clearly before gallavanting around in an expensive ship.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Looking to cause trouble
Tags: badger, bestower, eve online, hoarder, hurricane, impel, mmorpg, moa, onyx, penny ibramovic, scanning, w-space

Keeping out the neighbours

I'm curious about what happens after I shoot the miner and collect his ore. I head back to the system in my Buzzard to see if anything is happening, warping to the tower on the outer planet first. I am interested in the tower because it held a piloted Absolution and a second ship, a Hound and then a Probe, and it is the only structure in the system close enough to monitor the gravimetric site the miner was active in. I find some measure of activity, in that the pilot of the Absolution is now in a Purifier stealth bomber and the other pilot a Typhoon battleship. The tower's defences firing on my little Buzzard also make me aware that I am somehow not cloaked. Thankfully, I am able to warp out with only minor armour damage, unlike the last time my scanning boat gets shot by a tower. I think I'll leave that system alone for now.

Probes are seen in our home system. I am asked to look for any new connecting wormholes and a quick scan reveals a K162 has appeared. I jump through to find myself in a class 5 system, occupied and with an unpiloted Raven in the tower's shields. There are no other wormholes in the C5 except their static connecting to us, so I jump home again. The scout from the C5 must have come this way and is likely to be going back again. We may be able to catch him. My Onyx can catch inexperienced cov-ops pilots but it will be only a minor inconvenience to any pilot that knows how to cloak and doesn't panic. Instead, I get my Malediction interceptor out of the hangar. It should be able to lock a frigate-sized hull quickly enough to prevent cloaking, or move swiftly enough to the last known location of a cloaked ship to get within range to force it to drop its cloak. That's the theory, at least, I still don't have much practice.

Fin joins me in her Nighthawk in camping our wormhole. The scanning probes appear again on the directional scanner, suggesting the C5 scout is still in the system. Perhaps he already left the system and returned before I got my interceptor in position, or maybe he didn't leave. Either way, Fin warps her Nighthawk to the C5's K162 to monitor any traffic heading in that direction. A scout of ours jumps in to the C5 system and checks the tower, noting the Raven hasn't moved. The probes disappear from d-scan and we have both the exits covered with sufficiently threatening ships. We get ready, patiently waiting whilst remaining alert for any movement.

Nothing happens for a while. And, indeed, nothing continues to happen. It looks like the scanning pilot from the C5 has greater patience than me as I am close to returning to the tower. However, I raise the issue that once we are gone the C5 residents could be free to clear our local sites, and we would rather that didn't happen. So instead we plan to close the K162 connection to the C5. We should be fairly safe in our calculations of what has passed through the wormhole, as it is new and almost certainly has only had a few return trips of covert operation boats. A few jumps with an Orca should be enough to at least make the wormhole unstable, reducing the likelihood of anyone wanting to jump battleships through.

The final operation of the evening begins. Our Orca industrial command ship warps to the C5 wormhole and jumps through and back again, warping back to the tower to wait for the polarisation effects to dissipate before jumping again. I hold position on our wormhole in my interceptor, but I wonder if the visiting scout realises what is going on and that he could end up isolated from his system. After the second Orca trip I find out, as an Anathema cov-ops boat warps to the C5 wormhole and quickly jumps through. Yes, he recognises the behaviour and realises what is happening, dashing home whilst he still has the opportunity. One more round-trip with the Orca followed by one in a battleship sees the wormhole become critically unstable, leaving it in no fit state for a fleet to jump through. Our operation is successful, and we can rest in relative security.

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Tags: absolution, anathema, buzzard, eve online, hound, malediction, mmorpg, nighthawk, onyx, orca, penny ibramovic, probe, purifier, raven, scanning, typhoon, w-space

Parasitic mining

A target is spotted. Glorious leader Fin is heading out to high-sec empire space to buy fuel for our w-space tower when one of her regular checks of the directional scanner, necessary for survival in w-space, reveals a Covetor mining barge somewhere in the system. The Covetor is marked as a target because of the mining drones and jet-cans also on d-scan, a good indication that active mining is occurring. I only looked for wormholes where the miner is spotted, because the system is big and heavily occupied, so I need to get my Buzzard back in to the system to locate the active site.

Jumping in to the system shows nothing on d-scan, making me wonder if perhaps I need to jump further. But then I remember how big the system is and realise that if Fin has seen the miner it must be along the route to the next connecting wormhole. That probably puts the gravimetric site near the outer planet, where I warp to. The Covetor shows up but there is an Absolution command ship and Hound stealth bomber visible on d-scan too. Checking the nearby tower finds the two combat ships and, although they are not protecting the miner directly, that they are piloted makes them potential threats to consider. But first I must find the Covetor.

I use d-scan, focussing on the miner and gradually narrowing down the beam to five degrees, then adjusting the maximum scan range to get an approximate bearing and distance. Now I drop probes and position them as close to where I gauge the miner to be from my d-scan bearing, which I still don't find straightforward. Switching from my point-of-view in space to the system map takes a lot of concentration. I get a reasonably good first hit, but it still takes three scans before I can warp to the gravimetric site. I recall my probes immediately, although they have been visible for long enough to be spotted, and warp.

Dropping in to the gravimetric site has two consequences. The first is being almost blinded by the hideous brightness of a huge cloud that is present, even though I have my systems set not to display any bloom. The second is the damage I take by the same electric cloud, which decloaks my ship. I grab a bookmark of a jet-can near the Covetor before warping out quickly, but it seems the jig is up. Even if the miner wasn't alerted by my scanning probes surely a Buzzard warping in to his operation is a clue to pack up and leave. As I warp away I turn d-scan directly behind me and keep monitoring. The Covetor is still there and, more importantly, so are his drones. If the drones are not recalled his operation is continuing. I watch for a little longer, he stays put. It's my lucky day.

I warp back home and swap my Buzzard for the Onyx heavy interdictor. It may not be able to travel cloaked like the Manticore stealth bomber, but the HICs bubble will let me catch the pilot's pod as well as his ship. I just need to be careful of any support that may be called in. The HIC's bubble may stop any ship within the bubble from warping out, but as the HIC is the focus of the bubble it means I can't warp whilst the bubble is active either. But I have a plan. I make two wormhole jumps back and initiate warp to the miner's position. I am out of d-scan range at the wormhole so he can't see me coming, but I also don't know if he is still there, or if he's alone. Nervous excitement fills me.

Dropping out of warp in to the gravimetric site shows the Covetor is still mining and alone. I activate my warp bubble and trap him, locking and activating my weapons systems. It is just the one ship, making the engagement simple. I keep my bubble active and monitor its cycle time along with the integrity of the Covetor as my missiles tear it apart, constantly moving towards the ship. As soon as the mining barge is destroyed I target the ejected pod. Having kept close to the ship I am now close to the more agile pod, giving it less chance to elude my bubble and warp away. It also gives me the opportunity to loot the wreck on the move. As soon as I have a positive lock on the pod I activate my second, scripted warp disruption field generator. The script modifies the module to act as a single point instead of a bubble, allowing me to de-activate the bubble whilst holding the pod firmly in my control. More saliently, the scripted point only has a cycle time of six seconds compared to the bubble's thirty second cycle, allowing for quicker deactivation and escape. The pod pops, I scoop the poor capsuleer's corpse in to my hold, and I warp out immediately, the wreck already looted and no need to wait for my bubble to collapse. That's a smooth hit and run.

I return to the system in my Buzzard and warp to the tower near the gravimetric site. The two combat ships are still sitting motionless in the shields and there is no new activity to be detected. I wait a little longer but no one looks to be coming to claim the ore. Perhaps the miner really was working alone. It seems a shame to let the ore go to waste, but I am wary of trying to steal it myself as it would take a slow and cumbersome ship to pick it all up, or a many more trips in a more stealthy hauler. After a little more waiting and no sign of activity, I risk taking the corporation's Bustard out to grab what ore I can. Having myself been uncovered by damage from the gravimetric site's electric cloud the Covetor's fitted EM screen and small shield booster don't seem quite so strange, and I grab the looted items and fit them to the transport ship before heading out to collect the unrecovered ore.

I warp tentatively to the gravimetric site, shield hardener active. There is still no one around and I scoop a full hold of ore in to the Bustard, impatiently watching it align to the wormhole home. But I enter warp without interference and it looks like I will make it home safely. I jump through the wormhole and, argh, it's a trap! Someone waited for me to pick up the ore and has planted four small warp bubbles on the other side of the wormhole! My anxiety is not so great as to let me admire the execution of the trap, neither is it so overwhelming that I can't help but notice my bookmark to the corporation tower isn't active. This isn't a trap, I just warped to and jumped through the wrong wormhole. This one was found earlier and my trepidation at wanting to exit the gravimetric site quickly led to my mistake in identifying the right wormhole home. I know other pilots have got themselves shot for less. I wait for the session timer to elapse before jumping back and warping to the actual wormhole home, returning safely to the tower.

The first ore collection trip went smooth enough, ignoring my navigation issues, to convince me to go back for the rest of the ore. However, I am rather more concerned about this second trip, as I am fully aware that predictable patterns of movement are the most dangerous to make. I almost rely on other capsuleers being predictable in order to snare targets. But I go anyway. The lure of ISK is the downfall of many. There are two jet cans left in the site, about 14 km apart. I consider bookmarking the one further away and warping in and out, to limit my time in the site, but it seems quicker and thus safer to use my almost ineffective frigate-class micro-warp drive to close the distance between the two cans. I am able to retrieve all of the ore and return home safely, netting myself a profit of about ten million ISK in lazy mining for the evening.

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Tags: absolution, bustard, buzzard, covetor, eve online, hound, manticore, mmorpg, onyx, penny ibramovic, scanning, w-space

Exploring the neighbourhood

Another quiet start to the day in w-space. At least the home system is empty of anyone else according to the directional scanner, which is an advantage of living in a system that d-scan can cover completely. I start scanning and soon find a wormhole but when I warp to it I see a K162, not our static wormhole but one coming in to our system. It looks like we have some activity. The wormhole is still stable so I jump through to determine any potential targets or threats before heading out the other way.

D-scan shows a tower in the system and an Ishtar heavy assault ship. I find the tower, bouncing off a warp bubble when I go to investigate. There are no cans scattered around to decloak me, so the bubble is little threat. In view of the tower, I can determine the Ishtar to be elsewhere in the system. The HAC warps in to the tower as I move away from the bubble and there is no one else on d-scan. But then a second Ishtar arrives at the tower. I warp away to drop probes before returning to keep tabs on ship movements at the tower whilst scanning. One Ishtar pilot swaps to a Nemesis stealth bomber and warps off, disappearing as it cloaks, and I find another K162 wormhole in the system. This wormhole comes from null-sec empire space, but it has the rather more interesting property of being out of d-scan range of the tower in the system, which is strategically interesting if only because no celestial objects are. Having this location bookmarked could offer an interesting advantage, if I were to be coming here often.

I keep scanning and find a high-sec exit too, which I could use to buy the missile rigs for my Malediction interceptor. Popping through to high-sec shows some rigs for sale, but they are over half-a-dozen jumps away. I may as well head back and check if our static wormhole offers a better exit before committing to shopping here. Back in the class 3 w-space system the Nemesis is visible on d-scan, so I don't need to be quite as wary when jumping through wormholes, and I quickly pop through the null-sec exit to visit D-6H64 for an extra red dot on my map of disconnected exploration. Both ships are gone from the C3 system when I return but checking the home system reveals no activity, so perhaps they are taking a break. I scan and resolve our static wormhole, jumping through to an unoccupied system that I visited within the last two weeks. The system is almost barren, making finding the next wormhole easy, this one leading to a C2.

The C2 system is certainly occupied, with four towers immediately visible, two more lurking on the outer planet, and a seventh off-line and drifting. But with all of these towers there is only a Probe frigate in the system, sitting inside the shields of one of the structures. Launching probes and scanning finds another high-sec exit, and although it also leads to Amarr space like the other this one is only three jumps from Amarr itself. It is as close to civilisation as I am going to get, so I make a quick shopping trip to pick up the missile launcher rigs for Sad Panda, although I don't buy any books for advanced missile skills as they are traded at a premium in this region. Making the simple navigation jumps has me marvelling at this alien stargate technology, so simple and easy to find. I'm just glad I am not yet so removed from New Eden that I am shooting arbitrarily at any ships I see in high-sec.

I return from Amarr to find a couple of 'blue' pilots lurking around the wormhole leading in to w-space. I saw one when I warped away but thought little of it, and now I am pleased, and a little surprised, that they don't chase me through the wormhole and start shooting. That's a novelty. I return to the home system safely and fit the new rigs to my Malediction, giving it a decent boost to its rocket launcher range, but don't have anything to shoot for now. Instead, I take my Manticore out for a roam, hoping that my little exploration and new bookmarks will happen upon some activity. I head through the K162 in our system to the occupied C3 and am happy to see some probes on d-scan. I warp to the null-sec wormhole in the hopes of catching the scanning boat.

I sit almost on top of the exit wormhole, rather than position myself 30 km for a bomb launch. The bomb won't destroy a frigate-sized hull and I will be too far away to lock and disrupt the ship before it can flee. Instead, for a relatively benign target, decloaking to lock and disrupt the ship at close range is a better strategy. All of the probes are visible on d-scan, suggesting that the scanner is resolving the null-sec exit I'm lurking on. I consider my tactics. It is possible the scanner will warp to the wormhole to bookmark it, but hopefully he will jump through to take a look before jumping back and polarising his hull, whereupon I can pounce when he has no way to escape. The probes disappear from scan and I wait, but no ships appear. I imagine he's warped to the wormhole at range, bookmarked it, found it leads to null-sec and left it alone. I check the high-sec wormhole and there are no probes on scan. Maybe I missed him.

Or maybe I didn't. A Buzzard warps to the high-sec exit wormhole I am on, inferred because there is no flare and his ship just appears, probably when decloaking. I engage the Buzzard, out of excitement more than rationality, and he simply jumps through the wormhole to high-sec where I cannot engage legally even if I follow. If only it were the null-sec exit. I re-activate my cloak and lie in wait. A Nemesis warps in and jumps, my Manticore remaining cloaked this time. The stealth bomber is a more juicy target and I think this is a good time to test my interceptor, so I quickly jump home and swap in to the Malediction, returning to sit coiled on the high-sec exit.

The wormhole flares and I wait to see what happens. My Malediction does not cloak and is clearly seen by whatever jumps through, as evidenced by the Buzzard's pilot apparently soiling himself and dashing back to the wormhole long before his session timer has elapsed. I pounce on him as soon as his cloak drops and in the short time it takes for the session timer to once again allow the Buzzard to jump I have blown a hole almost all the way through its shields. But it jumps back to high-sec, without armour damage, and maybe has a chance to get his heartbeat back to normal. Trying to ambush ships on a high-sec wormhole is an exercise in folly, as I have stated before, and only really works if a ship jumps out and right back in again, polarising its hull. As the Nemesis doesn't come back I am not going to catch anything. I've had a bit of fun with the Buzzard, though, and engaged a live target with my interceptor. I jump back home pleased with my little adventure.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Exploring the neighbourhood
Tags: buzzard, eve online, ishtar, malediction, manticore, mmorpg, nemesis, null-sec, penny ibramovic, scanning, w-space

Scanning some emptiness

An early start, an empty system. I find a bookmark for our static wormhole dropped in our shared can, a bookmark that hasn't been visited yet. It's time to open the connection and visit today's neighbours. At least, it would be, if we had neighbours. Next door is empty and holds only a few signatures. I still manage to find rocks, rocks, and more rocks, then get gas before a wormhole presents itself. It is a static connection to a class 1 system, and I jump through to another unoccupied system.

More gas and rocks, then I resolve a wormhole. Warping to the wormhole reveals it to be a static exit to null-sec empire space. Having found a static wormhole in each system, if I can't find any other wormholes then my exploration for the morning will end rather abruptly. There are two more signatures to resolve in this system and they both turn out to be magnetometric sites, leaving me nowhere to go except to visit null-sec for the mark of exploration and then head home. At least we will have relative safety to clear some Sleeper sites later, if we get a fleet, but for now I take a break.

Returning a bit later, I head out for another look around our neighbouring systems, hoping a K162 or two has opened and brought visitors. The class 1 system has scanner probes visible on the directional scanner, which is a promising start. I consider getting some piloting practice in my interceptor and loiter on the C4 side of the connecting wormhole, hoping to catch the scanner when he comes through. But, after waiting a while, no one comes. I get bored and jump back in to the C1 to find no probes or ships visible on d-scan. Perhaps it was just a null-sec visitor taking a passing interest in w-space.

I swap back to my Buzzard and return to scan for a K162 wormhole in the C1. I have to ignore the same ladar sites again, not having made a note of their signatures before, but the sites I bookmarked can be crossed off the list immediately. I always note the signature reference as part of a bookmark's description for just such an occasion. A new wormhole is in the system, which is exciting, although warping to it reveals it to be static. At least, it isn't a K162. I'm not sure how I missed it the first time I was here. Either way, I jump in to the C4 on the other side, to find an occupied system.

There is a pod in the tower's shields but no ships anywhere to be seen. And despite all the anomalies that these chaps haven't cleared there are only two signatures, one being the wormhole I pass through to get here. The other is the system's static wormhole, again leading to a C4. I jump through. I quickly find two towers around the outer planet, but still there are no ships around. There are a bunch of signatures to resolve but I am running low on time and I need to get back to our tower, which I do. I copy the newly made bookmarks in to our shared can and take another break.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Scanning some emptiness
Tags: buzzard, eve online, mmorpg, penny ibramovic, scanning, w-space

Staying isolated

Our home system is deserted when Fin turns up, shortly followed by me. There is evidence that if a static wormhole is not activated, by warping to and thereby loading its grid, the K162 side does not appear either. Knowing this, Fin suggests that 'if we don't open our wormhole, we could mine!' I suppose we could. 'Or we could open the door and go after whatever we find.' My Buzzard is already launching probes, and the system's static wormhole is soon located.

There is no one around at all, our neighbouring system being empty of anyone. Being unoccupied explains this a little, but w-space has felt rather quiet of late. I continue scanning, using my comparative method of part-resolving the signature for the wormhole home and then using subsequent scans to compare signal strengths with that known wormhole. In this case the initial scan of the wormhole home, to get its signature reference, also identifies three ladar sites, which I ignore immediately. After that, I find rocks, rocks, and more rocks, before a wormhole presents itself. I warp and jump through the static connection to a class 4 system.

This next system is occupied, and quite aggressively. A Thanatos and Chimera carrier, Widow black ops ship, as well as the Tengu, Loki, and Legion strategic cruisers all show up on scan, amongst other less-intimidating ships. I find them all sitting in the shields of one of the four towers in the system, thankfully all unpiloted. I know I am looking for activity but I don't think I want to run in to this much. I already manage to run in to one of the many jet-cans floating strategically in a warp bubble around one of the other towers, decloaking my Buzzard. This is the first time I have seen this tactic to reveal visitors work, although there is no one around to see me and I can move away and re-engage my cloak before the tower's defences lock my ship.

I am not entirely happy scanning in this capital-infested system. I doubt I'll be caught, but I am not sure I want to engage anything in here or pilot a ship in the open to a connecting wormhole. Then again, I have my stealth bomber, and just in case there are easy targets in the next system across it would be prudent to take a quick look. Launching probes and scanning reveals a lot of anomalies but only a few signatures, and I find the only other wormhole in the system. It is a static connection that leads to a class 3 system, but is EOL so I won't go in. Instead I return home and suggest we collapse our wormhole to start afresh, cutting off the large force from finding our system and perhaps getting a more fruitful connection. Fin agrees.

An Orca industrial command ship is primed and warped to the wormhole. I fit a web module to help in my own small way. A ship enters warp when it is pointing in roughly the right direction and its engines reach 75% velocity. A web drastically reduces the targeted ship's maximum velocity. If a ship is webbed when pointing in the right direction, that ship's current velocity instantly becomes several hundred percent of its webbed maximum velocity, easily exceeding the 75% mark, and it enters warp immediately. So I sit on the wormhole and wait for the Orca to jump back to our side, where it then has to warp back to the tower to wait for the polarisation effect to dissipate before it can jump again. When the Orca is almost aligned, I web it and it enters warp significantly quicker than it would otherwise. It provides some defence in case there are some nasty pirates watching the Orca collapse the wormhole.

The wormhole collapse looks like it is going according to plan, right until the last Orca return trip doesn't actually collapse the wormhole. It may be as unstable as a Minmatar frigate, but the wormhole is still there. We don't risk sending through anything bigger than a covert operations boat, activating its micro-warp drive on the jump back for the increased mass, and that doesn't quite complete the job either. We decide to leave the wormhole in its state of being on the verge of collapse, happy to feel that only a fool would jump a ship through there and thus effectively isolating us anyway. There isn't a new static wormhole to find, and with it new neighbouring systems, but neither do I have to scan for a route to empire space to bring back yet another stranded colleague.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Staying isolated
Tags: buzzard, chimera, eve online, legion, loki, mmorpg, orca, penny ibramovic, scanning, tengu, thanatos, w-space, widow

Interceptor test flight

A K162 leading to a class 4 w-space system is an invitation to plunder. It is even more inviting when the wormhole starts its EOL cycle just as we pass through it, which should discourage our neighbours from following us home if they happen to take offense at our stealing their Sleeper loot. We send a Rook, salvaging Ishtar, Abaddon, and two Guardians jump through the wormhole where our neighbours still sleep, and warp in to engage the Sleepers. Our Abaddon pilot tanks with his cockpit but we repair through the damage comfortably enough, clearing three anomalies in the system before getting concerned about getting home through the decaying wormhole. We finish our Sleeper combat with one more anomaly in our home system.

The fleet disbands, which gives me an opportunity to go roaming in my Manticore stealth bomber. The connecting wormholes through our static wormhole are still present and stable, I just need to find a target to shoot. The unoccupied systems are quiet, no one venturing in from elsewhere that I can see, and the occupied system apparently has a scanner active. There are probes visible on the directional scanner, at least. Checking the tower and finding an Imicus, it's possible that the scanner has launched his probes and returned inside the shields to scan in safety. I warp to the high-sec exit, which is now EOL, and loiter with intent for a while, seeing no travellers. Another quick look at the tower sees the Imicus disappear and a Heron warp in to the shields. I suppose it was the Heron scanning and the Imicus pilot was asleep and drooling in his pod. It's awfully quiet, so I head home.

With a bit of spare time I take my new interceptor out for a spin, now given the name Sad Panda. I don't really have any particular place to go, but the Malediction is awfully fast and it is fun just to zoom around at silly speeds. Besides, our neighbouring C4 system holds a black hole, which increases a ship's speed, and I am keen to see what my interceptor can achieve when so boosted. Jumping through the wormhole, and checking to see d-scan is clear, I fire up my micro-warp drive and circle the wormhole. I am still new to the interceptor class of ship and find it difficult to maintain a good orbit, but I can certainly fly fast. Instead of testing my ship's agility, reduced by the black hole, I point Sad Panda in a straight line and let it loose. I feel a certain rush when I hit 7·5 km/s.

Seeing the wormhole fade in to the distance so quickly I then wonder what the granularity of the grid is, and continue to push away. The wormhole blinks out of existence at 485 km, putting me in the adjacent grid and off the overview. I think that's pretty neat. I turn around and head back the way I came, seeing the wormhole reappear soon enough. I could simply warp back, but it's almost as quick to burn at sub-warp speeds in the Malediction. Some of the feeling of speed is lost in the vast emptiness of space, even with the swift ticking down of the distance to the wormhole, but every metre per second is felt when I overshoot the wormhole by kilometres and the interceptor spins to correct. My speed settles down and I jump back home.

Fin is mining gas. I take Sad Panda in to the ladar site to buzz her cruiser, only to find that instead she is engaging the Sleepers she woke up. I point my fragile Tech II frigate away from the action, showing my impressive speed at running away, when the penultimate cruiser is destroyed. With only one Sleeper remaining it seems most opportune to test my Malediction's capabilities and I head back, targeting the cruiser and getting myself in to an orbit around it. I manage to get the Sleeper's attention somehow and it starts shooting me, and apart from one lucky hit my 'speed tanking' is working a treat. The Sleeper's guns cannot track me quickly enough and my small signature radius and high speed make the missile explosions ineffective to the point where I can shield tank the damage.

My little interceptor may be capable of avoiding this Sleeper cruiser's damage, but apart from stopping it warping away I am hardly a credible threat. Just as the Sleeper cannot damage me, I cannot damage it. The Malediction is straining against its speed trying to maintain a specific orbit without quite managing it and my rockets use all their fuel before they reach the target, meaning I am shooting ineffectively. Now is not the time to point out that missiles won't suddenly fall out of the air in a zero-g and fluid-free enviroment, so instead I need a way to improve my range. I either need to orbit closer, which looks difficult, or make my rockets fly further, which I can do.

Sad Panda is unrigged at the moment. Fitting one rig to boost the flight time and another rig to boost the maximum velocity should give me a decent increase to the range of my rockets. The next time a decent high-sec exit presents itself I shall go shopping. But, for now, with Fin destroying the Sleeper cruiser, I store Sad Panda back in the ship array, use my Crane to collect the mined gas, and then park in the tower's shields for the night.

Posted in Gaming | 5 Comments »
Tags: abaddon, crane, eve online, guardian, heron, imicus, ishtar, malediction, manticore, mmorpg, penny ibramovic, rook, scanning, sleepers, w-space