Unfinished experiments

     I wonder do other people have projects and long term experiments running in eve? For a while I was sorting and documenting various abyssal loot to better compare the value between tiers. For now that project is on the back burner as documenting and sorting everything took some of the fun out of the sites.

     Beyond that, one of the initial conclusions was that tier two abyssal sites, the agitated ones are very poorly balanced both in terms of loot and difficulty. They are by no means hard but rather than sitting between tier one and three they are only marginally easier than tier 3. This is complicated by not being significantly more rewarding than first tier sites, and arguably less rewarding than tier one frigate sites.

We will wrap up with some screenshots from this for now abandoned project comparing loot from 25 T2 cruiser sites to 25 T1 frigate sites.

Here we have the T1 loot.

Followed by the T2 loot.

   
     In the end I didn't find the per a site data particularly useful for making good comparisons due to differing completion times but it was interesting to note the differences all the same.

Finding the common thread

     I've taken a bit of a short from frequent writing to spend a little more time considering how to proceed as well as some extra time for real life concerns. During this break I've considered if my game play activities and preferences are mere coincidences or if the have some sort of core principles or at least common thread that I can build something more meaningful from.

     Most pilots in eve remain in the same area for a very long time, frequently basing out of the same system for years on end. The build up of resources in one area has it's natural advantages but beyond my enjoyment of the nomadic approach I find I'm actually hostile to the static approach. Having the right tool for every task may be mechanically and statistically effective but it also stifles the need for improvisation.
      Players stop solving problems, they become dependent on having a correct solution to every situation and as they encounter more situations they acquire more tools. Once their tool chest so to speak becomes difficult to move, changing locations becomes a chore and many players will settle down. As much as I dislike the stagnation of this sort of thing, I hate that it's derived from a lack of interest in engaging the game and overcoming it's challenges.

     In many ways players have 'solved' many of the challenges of eve and while it may be a somewhat meta perspective I don't think of players who seek out and the follow these solutions as really playing the game. They fly fits made by some one else, using strategies and tactics discovered by others all while frequently not understanding the mechanics that make it all work.
     In terms of statistics and performance they are "good players" they operate the game in a manner considered correct and they know this. I say operate here intentionally because if nothing about your fits to how you fly comes from you then I don't think you play the game, I think the game is playing you. It's a bit of a meta perspective but if nearly everything you do in game is absent personal input than you've become more of an operator than a player.

     I think this is in part where many of my in-game dislikes stem from. The near hated of otherwise ubiquitous ships such as the VNI, gila and ishtar. To borderline mechanical "pvp" such as gate camps and suicide ganking. Trying to have an interesting discussion with many of these players about their ships, tactics, and strategies has been one of the most consistently disappointing experiences in EVE.
      It's almost always an exercise in them having a few fits and a basic explanation then either not having answers for or being outright hostile to any deeper interest "It works, why do you have so many stupid questions?"

     I don't think there are right or wrong ways to play EVE but I've come to the conclusion that I at least am hostile to allowing the community meta to play me. There's a certain amount of defiance in the kind of play-style I aim for, to know what is considered the best and choose to find your own way in spite of it.

Fleets and corporate activity

     I've run various weekly fleets for a few years now, even before trying to move the corporation I'm in to a more nomadic existence. I had always assumed that running regular fleets would help keep people interested in logging in to do things in corp, however after a few years I am no longer certain this is the case.

     Running regular formal and scheduled fleets does get people online and active but in many cases it's just for those fleets and then they hop offline again or return to playing on an alt. The ability to just drop off a jump clone and hop on at a certain time does not do much to encourage people to be online at other times. This isn't a complaint towards that sort of thing but more an observation in how running a certain kind of fleet does not necessarily increase corporate activity outside fleet times. I had assumed it would but over time I think it's fair to say I was wrong in that regard.

     Is it perhaps the approach to running fleets that is part of my problem. Running all the fleets in a formal manner means that everyone knows when and where they are and as such they don't need to be online the rest of the time. What I have begun to wonder is if having the bulk of the fleets be less formal and more spontaneous might help keep people online and active. I'd like to imagine people asking if there was going to be a fleet and others asking what everyone felt like doing. However it's certainly possible that more spontaneous fleets will fail altogether, the activity will be sparse at least due to current low activity.

     All the same I intent to go forward with mixing scheduled formal fleets with more spontaneous fleets in the future. If nothing else I'd like to see if and how that changes the ways other members of the corporation and alliance join fleets. There are a few other potential issues that might be to blame for the failure of frequent fleets to drive activity in the corporation but that's another topic for some other post.

     To wrap things up for tonight I think I'll post a little screenshot in the defense of what I often describe as messing about. I often do exploration and stop by anomalies while going places and here's the nice reward I got for stopping by for a minute at of the most basic combat anomalies in the game a hideaway.

Frigate Compression TLDR Version

    If you have the materials under a faction icon you can use them to build any of that faction's T1 frigates at any standard station with refining and industry. You will only need refining 3 trained, if you do not have it buy an extra set of materials for every 10 frigates you want to build. The universal pack will let you build any faction's T1 frigates.

Unconventional Hauling - A Closing Summary

    

    It's difficult to find many arguments in favor of unconventional hauling techniques quite as strong as this simple comparison. With compressed parts even the lowly prospect can deliver more hulls to any location in low sec than a perfectly skilled and max cargo fit jump freighter.

    It can do this while fitting a strong tank as well, when fit for max cargo the prospect pushes well beyond 150% a jump freighter's capacity. It does this with all the safety of a blockade runner while costing far less and taking much less time to train.

    This is achieved by storing compressed ore in the prospect's 10,000m3 ore hold while keeping the blueprint copies and high end minerals inside it's cargo bay. A simple but unconventional option and that's where this guide will leave you all for now. With a friendly reminder that in Eve Online a little ingenuity and creative thinking can let a humble frigate outperform conventional options that cost hundreds of times more.

The Minmatar Frigate Pack

The Minmatar frigate pack follows the trend of being similar to the previous frigate packs and is likewise based solely on the industrial requirements of the Minmatar ships. Like the universal and other racial packs the needs are dictated by the ships with the highest mineral requirements in each category. In this case the four following ships the Breacher, Burst, Rifter, and Vigil. The Minmatar lineup is noteworthy in having some of the highest mineral requirements and is similar in size to the universal pack.

Tritanium 22778 - Rifter
Pyerite 15000 - Breacher
Mexallon 4444 - Burst
Isogen 356 - Rifter
Nocxium 133 - Rifter
Zydrine 34 - Rifter
Megacyte 8 - Vigil

    The high end minerals for this set only takes up 1.7 meters cubed so once again we will not be compressing these minerals. As before this guide assumes the basic train of reprocessing 3 and no other skills giving you a 54.5% refine rate at basic stations.

    The Minmatar frigate pack uses the same compressed ores as the universal one, however the quantities are slightly different. The compressed ores take up 29.7 m3 which when added to the high ends gives a total of 31.4 m3 which is slightly more efficient than using the universal pack. The Minmater frigate pack uses the following components.

5 compressed kernite
65 compressed plagioclase
100 compressed scordite.
133 nocxium
34 zydrine
8 megacyte

    As always there are options for saving isk at the expense of space by purchasing the mid range minerals and only compressing the low ends. This can be achieved using 160 units of compressed scordite and purchasing all minerals aside from tritanium and pyerite. As before this specialized frigate pack is more space and cost effective than it's universal one, taking up only 80.2 m3.

    That's all for the Minmatar frigate pack.

The Gallente Frigate Pack

    The Gallente frigate pack follows the trend of being similar to the previous frigate packs and is likewise based solely on the industrial requirements of the Gallente ships. Like the universal and other racial packs the needs are dictated by the ships with the highest mineral requirements in each category. In this case the four following ships the Imicus, Incursus, Maulus, and Tristan.

Tritanium 23333 - Tristan
Pyerite 13333 - Maulus
Mexallon 4000 - Incursus
Isogen 333 - Tristan
Nocxium 78 - Tristan
Zydrine 44 - Imicus
Megacyte 4 - Imicus

    The high end minerals for this set only takes up 1.3 meters cubed so once again we will not be compressing these minerals. As before this guide assumes the basic train of reprocessing 3 and no other skills giving you a 54.5% refine rate at basic stations.

    The Gallente frigate pack uses the same compressed ores as the universal one, however the quantities are slightly different. The compressed ores take up 29.6 m3 which when added to the high ends gives a total of 30.9 m3 which is slightly more efficient than using the universal pack. The Gallente frigate pack uses the following components.

5 compressed kernite
58 compressed plagioclase
105 compressed scordite.
78 nocxium
44 zydrine
4 megacyte

    As always there are options for saving isk at the expense of space by purchasing the mid range minerals and only compressing the low ends. This can be achieved using 145 units of compressed scordite and purchasing all minerals aside from tritanium and pyerite. As before this specialized frigate pack is more space and cost effective than it's universal one, taking up only 72.1 m3.

    That's all for the Gallente frigate pack, we will be finishing up with the last of Eve Online's main factions the Minmatar.

The Caldari Frigate Pack

Next up is the Caldari frigate pack which is similar to the previous frigate packs but is based solely on the industrial requirements of the Caldari ships. Like the universal and other racial packs the needs are dictated by the ships with the highest mineral requirements in each category. In this case the five following ships the Bantam, Griffin, Heron, Kestrel and Merlin.

Tritanium 22222 - Bantam
Pyerite 12778 - Griffin
Mexallon 3111 - Merlin
Isogen 1111 - Kestrel
Nocxium 56 - Kestrel
Zydrine 22 - Griffin
Megacyte 8 - Heron

    The high end minerals for the Caldari set only takes up .9 meters cubed so once again we will not be compressing these minerals. As before this guide assumes the basic train of reprocessing 3 and no other skills giving you a 54.5% refine rate at basic stations.

    The Caldari frigate pack uses the same compressed ores as the universal one, however the quantities are slightly different. The compressed ores take up 27.9 m3 which when added to the high ends gives a total of 28.8 m3 which is slightly more efficient than using the universal pack. The Caldari frigate pack uses the following components.

16 compressed kernite
14 compressed plagioclase
120 compressed scordite.
56 nocxium
22 zydrine
8 megacyte

    As before there are options for saving isk at the expense of space by purchasing the mid range minerals and only compressing the low ends. This can be achieved using 140 units of compressed scordite and purchasing all minerals aside from tritanium and pyerite. As before this specialized frigate pack is more space and cost effective than it's universal one, taking up only 69.7 m3.

    That's all for the Caldari frigate pack, up next will be more specialized mineral packs for the rest of Eve Online's main factions.

The Amarr Frigate Pack

    The Amarr frigate pack is similar to the universal frigate pack but is based solely on the industrial requirements of the Amarrian ships. Like the universal pack the needs are dictated by the ships with the highest mineral requirements in each category. In this case the four following ships the Punisher, Inquisitor, Crucifier and Tormentor.

Tritanium 22778 - Punisher
Pyerite 12222 - Inquisitor
Mexallon 4444 - Tormentor
Isogen 400 - Punisher
Nocxium 89 - Punisher
Zydrine 34 - Punisher
Megacyte 12 - Crucifier

    The high end minerals for the Amarr set only takes up 1.4 meters cubed so once again we will not be compressing these minerals. As before this guide assumes the basic train of reprocessing 3 and no other skills giving you a 54.5% refine rate at basic stations.

    The Amarr frigate pack uses the same compressed ores as the universal one, however the quantities are slightly different. The compressed ores take up 29.4 m3 which when added to the high ends gives a total of 30.8 m3 which is slightly more efficient than using the universal pack. The Amarr frigate pack uses the following components.

6 compressed kernite
62 compressed plagioclase
100 compressed scordite.
89 nocxium
34 zydrine
12 megacyte

    As before there are options for saving isk at the expense of space by purchasing the mid range minerals and only compressing the low ends. This can be achieved using 130 units of compressed scordite and purchasing all minerals aside from tritanium and pyerite. As before this specialized frigate pack is more space and cost effective than it's universal one, taking up only 74.5 m3.

    That's all for the Amarr frigate pack, up next will be more specialized mineral packs for each of Eve Online's main factions.

The enthusiastic vet

     I've been neglecting this blog and finishing other out of game projects primarily out of an interest in spending my free time playing the game. It seems like an odd position to be in for an eve online player. The game is notorious for the proverbial hordes of disgruntled long time players often referenced as having "bitter vet syndrome" and some former players refer to quitting the game for good as having "won eve".

     So I'm in the odd position of neglecting the out of game material and community for an interest in doing things within the game because I still find it fun. I'd like to finish the universal frigate pack and other out of game projects but at the same time I have fleets to run and fits to test. So lets wrap up the procrastination with a screenshot from the past, the original project discovery interface.

The Universal Frigate Pack

     At this time there are 25 standard tech one frigates available to pilot in EVE Online. With each frigate having different material requirements figuring out what minerals you need and how to compress them for a variety of frigates can be rather complicated.

     One simple option is to compile a list of which frigates have the highest mineral requirements for each of the primary minerals. A pack that meets each these needs would be able to build any of the 25 standard tech one frigates. This is the idea behind the universal frigate pack and the following image displays the frigates that dictate it's contents.

Tritanium 24889 - Venture
Pyerite 15000 - Breacher
Mexallon 4444 - Tormentor
Isogen 1111 - Kestrel
Nocxium 133 - Rifter
Zydrine 44 - Imicus
Megacyte 12 - Crucifier

     With the requirements of the mineral pack out of the way, we need to choose what parts to compress. Compressing the high end minerals is kind of pointless in these quantities, the three highest end ones take up less than 2m3 while the other four take up just under 455m3. While you can compress and reprocess ore with fairly minimal skills this guide is going to assume that anyone doing this will be willing to wait the few hours it takes to train Reprocessing to level 3. This will give you a refine rate of 54.5% at a basic station.

    
     With reprocessing 3 we can exceed our mineral needs with a selection of three compressed ores. This selection takes the 455m3 down to just 30.4m3 taking up less than one tenth the space the raw minerals would. The compressed ores used in this selection bring the pack's total size down to 32.3m3 and it uses the following components.

16 compressed kernite
37 compressed plagioclase
115 compressed scordite.
133 nocxium
44 zydrine
12 megacyte

     It is possible to save isk by leaving more minerals uncompressed however the savings are some what low and doing so can nearly triple the space it takes up.

     To wrap things up while it's certainly possible to make packs that are more efficient in terms of isk and space they will be more limited. This guide has focused on making a simple mineral and ore pack that will allow you to build any of the 25 standard tech 1 frigates.

Unconventional Hauling

     Moving assets around in New Eden can be a bit of a chore, especially if you confine yourself to the conventional paradigm of buying a fit and hull then moving them to their destination with a traditional hauler. Today's post will examine alternative strategies and techniques with a focus on deploying assets into potentially dangerous space such as low sec.

     Our example will be the Rifter, a modest tech one frigate and an iconic EVE Online ship. For our example let's say we want to deploy ten fully fit rifters into low sec. With the hulls themselves taking up 2,500m3 even max cargo fit tech one haulers can barely fit the hulls alone. Even then the ships themselves nothing more than helpless targets when fit in such a way, and in the depths of low sec deep space transports don't fair much better. So the traditional choice for this task is the blockade runner and accepting the tedium of making 3 or more trips.

    So what options do nomads such as myself have to offer you? Well one of the simplest options is to pick a station with reprocessing and industry to deploy out of and to build your own ships on site. Simply getting a blueprint and the minerals can cut that 2,500 down to a mere 317.5

     That's a big improvement but why stop there and what about the reprocessing facilities I mentioned? Let's trim that down a bit more by bringing in bulk of our minerals as compressed ore. Tritanium and Pyerite take up most of this space and with a little compressed Veldspar and Scordite we can slim this package down to just 50.2 m3

     Now what about those fittings? Building the modules can be a pain and we've saved so much space already, it's alright to settle for 127.8m3 for whole package. With some planning and packing we will be able to put everything needed to deploy 10 fully fit rifters into less space than a single hull would have taken up with the traditional methods.

     Sorry to disappoint those of you expecting to see the whole fit here, but this isn't the rifter fitting guide. All we care about right now is how much space it takes up, well that and we still need to ship it to our low sec system. With the rifters compressed down to this size we can now fit them all inside a blockade runner, but even they can still be caught with a good de-cloak or the simple bad luck of jumping into a situation where you cannot cloak.

     We're still easy to spot too whenever our blockade runner docks or jumps a gate so anyone who is about and paying attention will still know we're moving something around and might take the time to try and catch us. What would be even better would be if we could have both a less conspicuous transport that's also less vulnerable to risks of low sec.

     For this task I've selected the Sunesis destroyer, a SoCT ship with the agility and cargo capacity to suit our purposes. The following fit will get a skilled pilot just under a 2 second align time making you extremely difficult to catch. On top of this it can carry all of our rifters with room to spare while having nearly 10,000 effective hit points. The inclusion of weapons are a personal choice, I'm not a fan of going down without a fight even if I am flying a hauling vessel. The afterburner is exceptionally useful for closing that last bit of distance should you be unfortunate enough to land just out of docking or jump range.

     If we include the cost of the Sunesis and it's fitting as well we're still under 80 million isk. Meaning we get our cargo and hauler for less than half the cost of a blockade runner alone and without the burden of long training times.

     Next time you're planning an adventure and need to get some assets in place, take a few minutes and think outside the box. There might be options that can save you from hours of tedious hauling, pointless expenses or even painful losses that are nothing more than a result of your choice to take needless risks.