Like many others, I did not simply walk away and forget this place, this community, this world that had kept me intrigued for nearly 9 years. I found myself popping back in for a moment here and there, Ganked turning 5, World War Bee with Spectre, trying to entertain some “Dirty Crims” and a couple of other times when I had the urge to check up on this most amazing of games.
However, each time I tried again, I found myself with a problem, I really didn’t feel at home anywhere, so visits to EVE dwindled away. Eventually I came to realise that the only place I would feel comfortable, the only place I know I am content to provide content in EVE was the place I had called home for many years and had left behind back in 2015, RvB.
And so earlier this year I resubbed to EVE, over 12 years since the firs time, spent some time reading through around 18 months of changes, sorting my stable of characters out then more recently rejoined RvB and I’ve never felt more welcome, even when I rejoined slap bang in the middle of my own life rearing its ugly head!
Folks will be reading this and thinking that RvB is dead, that it “closed down” in autumn 2015, or simply withered on the vine as other entities gobbled up the newbies and spai alts of EVE. The changes RvB went through since I walked away back in spring 2015 will no doubt be covered by better men than I, but suffice to we are still here, and I have Firetails to lose:
So I am back in EVE, back in RvB and am looking at NPSI stuff too, I’ll see you out there folks!!
Ganked, one of EVE’s most celebrated regular events, was born on Friday 22nd July 2011. Which means next Friday, Ganked turns FIVE. In celebration, I shall be running two roams/events next week.
First up, we have a mid week EUTZ roam. The Long Run will take out a group of Armour Assault Frigates with Logistic support. Ships/Fits to come in the next few days.
The second is Ganked itself. Now I know the birthday is Friday, but I have a life to lead, so on Saturday 23rd July, I will lead you all into glorious combat somewhere, with someone – or many someones. However, I am stymied by choices, so you all need to vote in this poll:
[poll id=”10″]
The poll will run till Sunday. Following which we can buy all the things for the chosen fleet setup.
Last week saw the first Dirty Crims roam take place. It was good, relaxed comms, some fun kills and fights and I got to see just how FUCKING AWESOME booshers are.
So this week we’ll we doing it again!
Place: Usi / Ishomilken
Time: 08.00 UTC
Comms: Spectre Mumble
Ingame Channel: Spectre Fleet
As I had nasty migraine’s plaguing me all weekend, I decided to stick with Enyos and Deacons. However as well as last weeks Enyo fit, Daneel has provided me with the one under the first spoiler tag. I do like it, it does good dps, and has more buffer than the other Enyo we used last week. It should also be less of a stress for folks without 155m SP to fit!!! Yes its rails, but given we’ll be a small gang fucking around lowsec for a morning, a mixup style of weaponary will work well enough. Additionally, vary up those mids. TDs, Damps, Webs, Tackle are all good.
Finally, thanks to Scythian showing off how fun they are, I have a fit for a Magus down there, I’d like a couple of these along for funsies too! Lets Boosh those undock huggers shall we?!
125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
[Empty High slot]
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Warrior II x1
Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S x320
Scan Resolution Dampening Script x1
Damage Control II
Energized Armor Layering Membrane II
Energized Armor Layering Membrane II
400mm Steel Plates II
Warp Scrambler II
Micro Jump Field Generator
Stasis Webifier II
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
75mm Gatling Rail II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
75mm Gatling Rail II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
75mm Gatling Rail II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
[Empty High slot]
[Empty High slot]
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Warrior II x1
Valkyrie II x1
Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S x2500
Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S x460
Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S
Small Ghoul Compact Energy Nosferatu
Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S
Small Auxiliary Thrusters I
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
Warrior II x1
[Deacon, DC MWD Deacon]
400mm Rolled Tungsten Compact Plates
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
True Sansha Energized Thermal Membrane
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400
Coreli C-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli C-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli C-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Warrior II x1
[/spoiler]
EDIT: If you have yet to see it, go watch the new Spectre video.
Done that? Bloody great isn’t it. The creator did some good work right there. His name is Diam Feneck and deserves kind words, hot lead and maybe even ISK coming his way if you liked it as much as I did.
I wrote a little last week over on the new – EXCELLENT – Spectre website, about how I now have time for EVE and therefore time to do what I do best, provide content for people. Notably, I talked about a new roam I am doing mid week.
That roam is called Dirty Crims, and will be a mid week roam held every so often on Wednesday mornings, specifically aimed at pilots on the otherside of the world, many of whom I have yet to welp horribly. It’ll be start around 08.00 UTC. Tomorrow’s inaugural roam features Enyos and Deacons.
We are leaving from Usi / Ishomilken (if blinky) and will wander around looking for none fleeted folks to blast out of the sky. To join just hang around in the “Spectre Fleet” channel in game and look out for which of the invite channels I will be using. We’ll be using Spectre Mumble so get Mumble sorted before hand.
As you can see from the above, I have a few ships to hand out to early birds, fits may be a little tight on the Enyo so I have provided alternate guns in each, JUST IN CASE. Additionally some of the Enyo’s also have alternate mids available to vary things up somewhat. We’ll be shooting anyone we see around regardless of affiliation to any side in the current war, but that wont bother any of you right?
So yeah, be there or be something. And yes, those ship names are intentional.
Small Print – Fits
[spoiler]
Maybe shit fits, but deal with it. I’m rusty!
[Enyo, DC Blasters] IFFA Compact Damage Control Co-Processor II Adaptive Nano Plating II True Sansha Energized Explosive Membrane
Nearly five years ago, RvB took on the duty of offering the people of New Eden a regular NPSI roam. You may have heard of it, it was known as RvB Ganked. Somehow, “Ganked” very much became my baby, something I managed for years until the time I stepped away from EVE, following which the Ganked mantle was taken on by the good people at Spectre Fleet. Even when I came back, I was (and still am) happy to see Ganked continue with Spectre and show my face from time to time to fly with friends new and old. I was happy doing that, I thought I was out of the limelight.
They pull you back in!
Recently, Vision Thing Achasse got in touch with me to say RvB was starting up a new NPSI roam as part of their efforts to rebuild the RvB brand following some drastic changes late last year, and offered me the chance to FC the first roam/event.
I checked my schedule, gave it some thought, and agreed. I put 5 years of my EVE life into RvB, its a time I’ll never forget and to be offered this opportunity to help them just made so much sense.
So on Saturday 19th March, come join me, Mangala Solaris, and a host of other pilots for a roam in search of DEATH & GLORY, in the inaugural RvB Memento Mori roam.
As FC I got to choose the ships and what not for the night, and following a long look at all the options available (NAUGS, Eagles, AHACS to name a few), I decided to rock it old school. To bring back that insanity that signified the early days of RvB Ganked, when my RvB experience still influenced how I ran those roams. Namely, FRIGATE HULLS.
Yes, you read that right. Its a kitcken sink frigate fleet. Break out the frigate hull(s) you love the most and lets have a great night in support of RvB and it’s future within the EVE community.
Small print:
You will all die eventually, you’ll lose your ships, get shouted at by me, and you’ll enjoy it. Meet me in Oisio/Hysera from 20.00 on 19th March. Comms will be an RvB Mumble server:
server: public.rvbeve.com
port: 43224
pass: RvBLives
As the article says this POS will be exiting reinforcement on Sunday evening, and the folks of EVE are invited to come and fight over it/kill the POS and take the goodies. I know Ganked 205 will be there under Jayne. (Grumble, Grumble about him getting the name in first!). However someone somewhere decided it would be fun to get me to FC something for this, and well the old schoolers here will know I do like shooting POS with drunk fleets.
Anyway, I was thinking originally I would just do a “fly what you want, it’ll die anyway” fleet, BUT I have had a long, stressful month, and to be honest thats too much chaos and would simply end in me calling you all names and logging off! So we’re gonna do Drakes. HML slinging, shield bearing, DRAKES! With shield logi, support frigs, caracals and what not in attendance. Fits can be found in game on the RvB Ganked mailing list. Not on it? Ask someone who is to forward the mail!
2015 is nearly at an end, and like other entities, I have the urge to reflect on the year gone by as well as give you all a look the year to come for as long as I am in game.
What Was
2015 started on a massive high, Ganked had reached 150 weekly roams, Spectre Fleet was a year old and Nashh was going to sacrifice a titan for something. Jayne, Doug & myself called for all our forces to fly Golden Fleet that night and took them along to the Titan Smash event, nearly 1000 of you (directly fleeted or simply tagging along!) showed up. Despite failing to kill the titan ourselves, the numbers, the doctrine and general atmosphere demonstrated just how popular NPSI is, and just how much NPSI had grown in the previous year.
Following 150, the weekend roams went from averaging 150-170 pilots to continually pushing 200 or more, especially if Apex, Doug, Jayne or myself are the FC du jour.
Alongside this high in my NPSI life, it was not long into 2015 that I became one of the RvB CEO’s, a move which stumped some people as so many of you always assumed I was one anyway – being a gobshite on social media helps with that I suppose. At the time, this was amazing, something I had considered over the years but never really thought would happen. However, in retrospect this really wasn’t a good thing for me. I was still on the CSM, I was a leading light in the NPSI world and from time to time I would lead the forces of RvB in glorious warfare. It was such a bad thing that I played less and less until eventually I didn’t even log in for NPSI. Then I realised I had won EVE. As you all know that was a temporary victory and I continue to lose this game on a daily basis.
In the wider world of EVE, we saw many alliances die, most notably BNI. In their stead more organised groups with a similar focus have arisen, Pandemic Horde, Karmafleet, Nova Haven, Signal Cartel to name a few. 2015 also saw RvB “die”, but much like my victory over EVE, their death did not last long and following a management change RvB is getting back to its roots of providing fun, constant, bullshit free pvp (looking at you ECM!). I wish Lady, Vision, Jasper and many others all the best as 2016 begins.
The end of 2015 was as exciting as the beginning for me, I returned to the game in time for Ganked 200, where I managed to get mself DD’d by PL. Apparently there was a bit of a race to be the one to DD me! The event – Ganked 200 – itself was great fun, quite a turn out of pilots many of whom I had not seen for months, it was like a school reunion. Just without the bad 90’s pop.
@awanderingjon It should make you feel even better to know there was a bit of a race to get you. All in the very best humour.
2015 was not all sunshine and roses, some of those we started the year with we are not ending it with. Dracoth Simertet, Robyn Aurilen, Photon Torpedo are but a few of the pilots we lost this year. With the EVE community being so close knit, every loss affects us – diminishes us – however I know that those pilots fly on with us as part of our collective memory.
What will be
2016 promises to be a very interesting year for me. I am currently investigating a myriad number of options for places to call home, from EVE University, to Spectre, and a whole gamut of opportunities in between, including Pandemic Legion. I am even entertaining the idea of expanding my current one man corp into an actual thing and using it as a basis of yet more investigations into the future of social networks within EVE.
In terms of how I will affect YOUR game during 2016, on the drawing board right now are more player tournaments, more roams led by Mangala, greater involvement with NPSI communities across New Eden, a foray into small gang environments and so much more that its best if you all just watch this space and see what my mind spills out as we move through 2016.
The past few days I have been consolidating assets and generally moving around space, while doing so I noticed that there was not many pilots in the systems I passed through, even on what were once major pipes, and that even in a few months random local chatter had dropped down somewhat. I promptly joined a fleet and was awash in chat and fun times consequently forgetting all about this.
Then this morning, it popped into my head again, and I got to thinking that if only there was a way for these isolated/localised groups of people to interact with greater numbers on a pretty basic level, with a result of these players possibly interacting in more vital and interesting ways as time goes on.
So random thought for the day, replace local(system) with constellation chat? (inb4 wormholers) #tweetfleet
As you can see, I think that system local should be removed/changed/something, purely because giving players more people to chat with than offered by local/corp/specialty channels could then lead to these players being more willing to band together and do “things” (Yes, I have an almost naive view of EVE players here, but hey ho). While I do not buy into, or wish to propagate the trend of “EVE is dying”, in a time with low PCU’s giving existing players an easy way to reach out to others around them is a win with its potential to increase player activity and start a new up cycle, surely?
Additionally I know that Constellation and Region chats are available already but while Local is the default for chat (and intel), then the rest go ignored and un-used in a never ending cycle, and no grassroots movement will see this change. It will have to come from CCP themselves, maybe at the same time that local is divorced from the intel it provides (I’m on the fence over local = intel, as a good or bad thing)?
Regards implementation, yes I would love this across all types of space. With each “level” having slight differences to one another. For example in empire space (both high and low) Constellation chat replaces local with no other changes. Null, it could be delayed and wormholes, just scrap it. Okay, okay I admit I am not sure how something like this would in wormholes, so ideas on the back of a postcard please. Whatever happens, these changes are workable within the lore as it pertains to capsuleers gaining even more power/sway over New Eden.
Overall, this would be a small step in terms of increasing player socialisation, but not everything can be a giant leap.
Then one day I stopped winning EVE and for a variety of reasons, I returned.
I stepped back into the game just in time for a rather memorable Ganked, in which I even managed to FC for a short while. Followed by another great Ganked the week after. However, this wasn’t so much a triumphant return so much as it was me easing gently into the game. A game that had changed so much in the few months that I was gone.
Then as quickly as I returned, I was gone again. Fallout 4 had released, and all my free time disappeared into the wasteland. I binged on Fallout any chance I got, putting in nearly 70 hours over the past few weeks, despite work eating into my free time as well! Fun thing is I haven’t even scratched the surface of the game yet, I’ve only JUST reached Diamond City….
Anyway, this post isn’t about me failing at failing to win EVE, nor is it about Fallout. Its about my indecision to find something to do in EVE now that I am back.
In the before time
My history so far in EVE is very much intertwined with that of the second iteration of RvB. I, like many others, started off with an alt there until one day I found myself at a lose end with my main, Mangala Solaris. I took the decision to move Mangala into RvB as a place to get some pew pew until I found a new home. It never quite worked out that way as the past five and a half years demonstrated. As RvB grew and changed, so did I.
At first I was just a regular pilot, then I started acting as a backup caller, then fully fledged FC running multiple fleets daily both for RvB activities and against war targets, culminating with me becoming one of the main war time FCs when it came to the very large fleets that RvB was throwing at the world then, especially when fighting the folks over at EVE University and BNI. In conjunction with this, I organised many large events for RvB, and through the aegis of RvB Ganked, the EVE public. From simple roams right up to live streamed tournaments, I had to have a project rolling at all times. Knowing that others were enjoying their game experience kept me going. Until it didn’t.
FC wat do?
Now that I am back, this question is the one that is on my mind. After years of focusing on RvB, and groups connected to it, I am finding it incredibly difficult to decide on what exactly my next steps are. I know for certain I am not going to remain in RvB much longer. While RvB needs all the pilots it can get following some serious upheaval back in October, it is for others to rebuild it. I am content knowing that it will still be there, continuing to provide a home for many pilots I consider good friends.
As someone who has played this game (on and off) for around 9 years, I have experienced quite a few aspects of the game, so it becomes pretty hard for me to narrow down my options to specific path. Despite my prior experiences, there are still parts of the game that I have little experience in – wormholes, FW in its current form, the other side of Empire war decs, piracy, small gang operations and even solo pvp; Additionally there are aspects of my EVE experience that I would love to delve deeper into, notably the support and building of NPSI communities in readiness for the day when CCP give social groups their attention.
Of course I could ignore all the above and finally accept Doomchinchilla’s invite to his corp, and end up in Pandemic Legion.
Meanwhile…
For now I am just going to keep up with some well needed asset consolidation and try to get some minor projects rolling, including FCing again. The environment of EVE has changed enough that rolling around with a few (or many) of you, destroying stuff seems like a fitting way to find some inspiration both for my own future and on how I will provide for you all.
8 years, 7 months. That’s how long I have been playing EVE.
During that time I started playing for the spaceships, then the pvp and eventually I simply played for the people, especially RvB and the NPSI communities I flew with and eventually lead over the past several years.
However, its time to hang up my hat and call it a day.
Yes chaps, I won EVE.
For many of you this may be sudden and gods do I know it is. Please understand that for me this decision was a very difficult one to make considering how involved in EVE I have been during my time playing this game. From being a simple FC in RvB, to leading one of EVE’s larger, more notable communities right up to trying (not very well) to represent you all as a delegate on CSMs 8 & 9.
However, while I have enjoyed being an enabler for you all, getting you that pvp fix and getting into some amazing fights across the years, it is hard to reconcile continuing that role with not even logging in, let alone actually playing the game. It pains me to say this, but regardless of how much I love the community in EVE (easily the best game community I have been a part of), it is not enough to keep myself logging in, even as the game continues to evolve thanks to the concerted efforts of CCP and every last one of you.
To RvB.
I have been a member of RvB for many, many years. I was there for RvB 1.0 and the start of RvB 2.0 on alts, until that fateful day in July 2010 I realised that RvB would be a great place to while away some time on my main, Mangala. Soon after I started FCing, running events and generally being active and visible for years until you all elected me to the CSM on the back of that. Eventually I ceased to be a CSM, but along the way I had also stopped being the guy you elected, the active FC, the pvper, the nuisance with the Firetail obsession and become an administrator.
A pen pusher, a desk jockey.
Worse still, I took on the Red Fed CEO role hoping that I could do you all proud in a more direct way than ever, but I fucked that up. I delved deeper and deeper into the administrator role, never really grasping that you did not need that. Fun thing is, you never needed an administrator thanks in part to the work I had done (and many better people than me) to pretty much simplify the process of “log in, undock, explode some shit”.
Leaving EVE, and therefore resigning as CEO is probably both the worst thing and the best thing I can do just as RvB starts a new chapter in its story within EVE, but you and all the pilots to come will be better served with more engaged people at the helm.
I can say that it has been a pleasure and an honour flying with and against all of you. Even you on the un-dock.
To Ganked.
RvB Ganked was started way back in 2011 as a monthly NPSI roam, somehow I got involved with it and threw myself into making it something else. I never really planned to turn it into one of the best things EVE has to offer on a Saturday night, but there it is. Thousands of pilots have flown with us over the years, many from within RvB, many more from outside of RvB (including many PvP virgins).
We’ve had some amazing fights – Ganked 100, Ganked 150, the first time we used Eagles & Vultures, to name a few; We’ve enjoyed some great stupidity on comms and during our fights including the time I fleet warped us on a Titan, the numerous times Rooks ‘n’ Kings said hi and any time I broke my overview and we had to try and win a fight regardless. Looking back I still cannot figure out how Ganked survived for nearly 4 years.
Anyway, I really want Ganked to continue in EVE once I am no longer a participant of this game. I have spoken to some people and hopefully it will continue in some form or another.
To the community.
I had played MMO’s before finding EVE, I had interacted with the players of those games, but something about the EVE community is special and its really hard to pin down. It could be the insanity of GD, the viciousness when pvping, the altruism towards those newer than us or even our willingness to forget all in game allegiances when faced with the loss of a fellow pilot. Whatever it is, it really is humbling to be a part of.
Having meet so many different people at various EVE meets over the years, its the community that has made this decision so hard for me. I never thought I would say this, but thanks to EVE I have made some great friends. While I am able to say I won at EVE, I will be sad to leave this community behind. Luckily there are still EVE meets, and even if I do not play, I still like a drink. I’ll keep a weather eye out and attend those I am able, especially this years EVE Vegas (Its Vegas ffs!).
