Game of Clones

The hardwires that are plugged into my brain occasionally buzz and crackle and make my head and neck feel warm at night, especially when I'm stuck in some cold station in the middle of nowhere with a hard excuse for a pillow. ~ The Tales of the Mad Brutor. 

Neutron Commander

Running around in Atrons shooting Ventures.

The Old Man and the Cyno

When he was younger, Laurence flew ships to Molden Heath and he remembers seeing capsuleers playing on the acceleration gates. In his mind these young warriors were lions, they were brave and powerful and people from far and wide would be talking about the lions. As he grows older, these memories become dominant in his mind. He is somewhat confused about this, but when he dreams about the lions, it brings him comfort.

Against the Gods

A Proteus appears on the directional scanner, what ship am I in? Hmm, an Enyo, that'll do. Off I warp into battle. The Enyo dies valiantly. Perhaps an expected death, but the challenge and that niggling thought in the back of the mind that this could be that glorious killmail that has its 15 seconds of fame in a chat channel somewhere, that's what drives the engine of the solo killmail hunter.

Stargate Conflict

With the recent announcement regarding a planned future installment of a new region in New Eden, I got thinking about what I would want, from a personal and biased viewpoint, from such a new region.

Welcome to Fabulous Jita Local

This is an odd post to pen, but last night I found myself in the notorious capital of New Eden, the rogue system of Jita. Shopping on an alt is one of those tedious things we all have to do at some point in our immortal adventurings. Now, nothing out of the ordinary so far, but then I remembered about the Great Cleanup of Jita Local earlier in the week. The removal and banning of bots, scripted chat clients or whatever they are called, and this can only be a good thing, right?

Full Tilt!

I have noticed a disturbing trend with my PvP habits.

I will lose a ship, usually in a close fight, and I will go straight back to the hangar to pick up another ship and then lose it again, usually in fights I know I can't win. It is a lot like a losing streak in poker. I can't work out why this happens or if there is a way to fix it. I am not even sure if you can fix it. Is it even a bad thing? If you fixed it as such, would you become risk averse? Is this just the way to fly to maximise killboard production?

A Little Rifter Video

SKRMR pilot Crake Gaterau (pilot 15) likes his Rifters. He is like some kind of reincarnation of an old school Wensley with all guns blazing, blitzing through the gutter of space with bits of rusted metal flying, spinning hot and twisting burning into battle.

The Uniform Rift (part III - Enter Dragon Lawyer)

Reply to Corporate Edict issued by MIURA BULL CEO of SKRMR:
FINAL DRAFT TO TRANSCRIPTIONIST

Office of Susan Derpantsoff Esquire

The Uniform Rift (part II - Inspection)

Previously on The Uniform Rift, the Screaming Hayabusa Corporate Uniform is successfully rolled out.

The Uniform Rift (part I - Intro)

Recently, the Screaming Hayabusa corporation implemented an advisory dress code, the details of which are outlined below.

RvB Ganked 88: Flux Capacitor

Date: Saturday 12th October 2013

Time: 20.00 UTC (Form Up 19.00)

FC: TGL3

Theme: Inties & Fast Frigs.
(One last play around before they change)

Where: Gelfiven / Oddelulf

Crossing Zebras Community FFA

I jumped into the system of Asakai in the Black Rise region in a (t)rusty old Rifter. On comms I heard that a gate camp was about to be busted, so I x'd up and quickly made my way over to the fleet. Landing in the melee that was in front of me I locked up what I could and set my autocannons to maximum.

Dirty Loyalty Points

I don't want to join faction warfare but I think that as a reward for spending the vast majority of my time in low-sec and in the faction warfare complexes, that I should be rewarded for my attempted 'conquering' and 'evicting' efforts.

Excuses!

I'm sure at some point in time we've all crossed swords with an Excuse Monkey. It's now time to name and shame and reveal the best excuses that you've seen during your eve playtime.

So I was wondering if some kinda toll was to be payed to not get killed

One of the seven tenets of bushido is that of benevolence, which can also extend to charity or mercy. The meaning suggests that one should pay alms to the poor, care for those in trouble, and take care of his fellow man. ~ Nogusha.

Give me back MY money Tyrant!

Decon is an odd place, sandwiched by high-sec and 3 jumps from Dodixie. At certain times of day when the gate camps are sleeping .... the highsec bunnies come out to play.

EVE Online Rubicon

I posted this live to the [SKRMR] forums as it was being streamed. Please excuse the rough and ready nature.

[unedited]

I Don't Know What Just Happened or How You Did That

Sharuveil, next door to Decon .... a large system with 100-150AU warps between belt clusters, not much chance of someone knowing that you're lurking for them if they warp directly to the belts from cluster to cluster. Which of course some people habitually do.

Crouching Ishkur, Hidden Prober

Ice belts! Over the next week or so I'm going to post some old battle reports from the SKRMR forums. Some of the information is now outdated, including fits and game mechanics, but I feel some of the actual stories might be of interest to some. The files are now declassified, although it is worth noting that some pilot names have been hidden out of respect. 

The Guilt Game: or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Lossmail

I was recently browsing some random discussion thread that for the most part centered on ship losses, dealing with said ship losses, and also the idea of feeling guilt towards the person behind the toon whose ship you just blasted into smithereens.

Drone 20 and the Scout Ship SKRMR

This is the story of four capsuleers floating in deep space aboard the scout ship SKRMR, their mission to destroy abandoned cynos and chase unruly plex farmers in star systems far, far from home.

Hey Asshole!

"Hey Asshole!"

One of the most common labels that I see clumsily associated with piracy in New Eden is the term 'asshole', especially when aimed at the individual and not the profession. Now I don't think I have ever called anyone an asshole, not in life and certainly not in a computer game, and I don't feel like anything would ever get me so mad as to warrant using the word. There must be some real angst involved for the victim to resort to flinging these 'insults'.

PigeonGate and the Blue Lightning Bolt

Not sure why but I started playing around with the corp logo tool, changing the colour of the background lightning bolt every few hours as I roamed.

Yeah it was one of those days.

[SKRMR] Photo Album

Just for fun.

SKRMR Recruitment

What is Screaming Hayabusa?

Screaming Hayabusa, or SKRMR for short, is a corporation based inside an arcade frigate shooter in which pilots play on hardcore mode in the ultimate quest for the good fight!

The Piracy Perplexity

There is something magical about piracy in New Eden. The pirate is to some an incredibly sinister being, who is mysterious, trickster-like and cunning. The pirate has enjoyed both a revered and loathed status around New Eden, whilst also being something of a folkloric figure.

From Jita with Love

good news
From: SUPER J0SH
Sent: 2013.08.01 14:35
To: _________,  

My dear

Killmails In Picture

Sometimes a screenshot from a fight can go a long way to painting more of a picture of what actually happened over just reading a killmail. If I have been in a particularly interesting engagement I will always try and capture the moment, if you like, with a quick screen grab.

Here are a few that I have collected.

Standings

What do standings mean to you as a pilot? What do they mean to your corporation or alliance? I often get asked about standings and my only real answer is that they are nothing more than an identifier, a quick glance local reference. I have never used or followed standings in any other way.

There are corporations and alliances who live and die by standings. Diplomacy around standings is a big thing for them. I know of some organisations who set their rules of engagement based on them. This is a strange policy to some and the norm for others. Some even sell standings, again, an alien concept.

The Solo Combat Pilot's Regional Guide: Placid

In reality, Placid is anything but. The southern reaches of the region are home to the notorious Intaki, whose huge emphasis on personal freedom goes some way towards explaining its general lawlessness. The situation is not helped by the Federation's seeming reluctance to invest heavily in the region - a source of some resentment among the Intaki who haven't already fled to Syndicate.

In which Sard Caid ...

... catches Miura in the dumpster looking for tags.


It started with a tweet ...

Space Hermit (episode 2)

Previously on Space Hermit ....

Miura begins to doubt what he has become. A murderous loner who is hellbent on furthering his machine-like killing sprees of which he has little to no memory. After much soul searching Miura is left with the realisation that he must crawl out of his shell and find a fix to this loner lifestyle. Fearing a fall into the downward spiral of capsuleer burnout, will the friends he has hidden from for so long now ride to his rescue?

Space Hermit

I am a Space Hermit.

Space Hermits are dedicated to the life of the true solo combat pilot. Anti-social or just playing on hardcore mode, these pilots live and fly, to some degree, in seclusion from society. Gangs are alien to them. Some Space Hermits claim gangs to be a bewildering experience where the urge to fly alone again is constantly ever present.

Those Daring Young Men in Their Flying Machines

... Ain't What They Used To Be!


'The king is dead, long live the king!'

artwork by Joe Struck.

Miura Bull's Guide to the Galaxy #1 Scrams

Miura Bull's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of scrams.

Destination Molden Heath

It felt good to be out of the Dramiel hull at last and into something different. I left Placid in a hurry, and plotting a high-sec dash to shorten the journey time decided on the Crow as a suitable ship choice.

Sparks Will Fly

Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on combat boosters and then fly like a bastard from Jita to Bosena ... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of frentix. ~ unknown Molden Heath expatriate.

Game of Drams

The month of May was to be designated as a corporate Dramiel month for the Screaming Hayabusa pilots. Freighters laden with squadrons of packaged Dramiels and equipment were pointed towards Placid where they would be assembled in Pelille, ready for the fireworks and a month of planned mayhem.

Cartoon Hayabusa

I spent way too much of my time today playing around with some pixels instead of playing around with some other pixels. Below is the entire corp roster of Screaming Hayabusa in pixelated cartoon form.

The Gnosis With Gno Name

It's a bit like letting a newly qualified glider pilot loose with a commercial Jumbo Jet.

"There you go Sir, we're at 35,000 feet now, do your stuff ... oh did I mention this thing has engines?"

Black Box of Death

Black Box of Death.

Warp Core Blackout Scrambler I

This module is a utility high-slot module that uses roughly the same CPU and powergrid as a Small Energy Neutralizer. It is a powerful module that was first used in very rough form by various rebel pirate hacker groups across New Eden, often going undetected by the authorities. It was said that no two blackout scramblers were ever the same, such were the haphazard construction methods employed.

House of Flying Autocannons

MBDOT Film Productions presents - House of Flying Autocannons.

This post is intended as a parody of the wuxia film House of Flying Daggers. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend that you go watch it right now! Go on! We'll see you later .... This post pretty much gives away the original plot so *SPOILER WARNING* ...

Combat Boosters Reloaded

Deep in the darkest corner of null-sec space sits a modest drug lab and other wonderful chemical and biochemical paraphernalia. A mad scientist is at work. They call him Chemical Daddy or the Doo-Doo Man and they say that he never eats or sleeps and that his eyes are made of synthetic golden cytoserocin.

Decon Narrative

When I'm roaming from region to region I like to cut the journey short sometimes and dash through hi-sec space. Well, in theory. In fact this usually makes my journey slightly longer but it adds the chance of some fights along the way instead of roaming empty lo-sec after empty lo-sec. Usually, when I'm heading from the Verge Vendor/Essence side of town up to Heimatar/Metropolis I like to take a diversionary route through the lo-sec island systems as I like to call them. Isenan/Parts/Obalyu and then on to Seyllin/Ane and then further on towards Decon/Sharuveil. For the most part these are quiet systems surrounded by the pickings of hi-sec space. Occasionally you get lucky and the odd target or two drops in through the unwelcoming gates of lo-sec space.

Screaming Outburst

The Enyo swoops. The imaginary back-up prober has yielded a 100% hit as the fleet chat window spools up into life.

Coconuts!

Three Daredevils, a handful of Atrons (I lost count in the end), a Wolf, a Jaguar and two Caldari Navy Hookbills. It should read like a good morning report of good fights and heroic tales from the beacons. But no, this is a list of ships that decided it was much better to indeed run away from a potential fight with an Incursus. Fair enough, each to their own and I would be lying if I said that I've never run from a potential fight but it is the manner of the escape acts that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

War Thunder Movie: Into Darkness

I've been playing quite a bit of War Thunder just recently. It's a great way to grab an instant PvP fix, just log on and jump into a plane and enter an arcade battle. Lose your planes and then quit the mission, take your experience points, skill up your crew and then join another game once you have repaired your planes or purchased new ones. It's good, I like it and it can be a nice distraction from the hardcore levels of EVE.

Screaming Hayabusa!

Excerpt from Advice to Screaming Hayabusa pilots. Flight training and mental conditioning.

  ... and three red lights indicates that structure collapse is imminent. Pilots should brace for impact and/or consult their flight manuals. At the very last moment before structure collapse you should exert all of your supernatural strength, you will for a very brief amount of time feel that you are floating.

The Insect

I'm running through the fields, which is weird when you think about it because I can actually fly, but I feel as though when I do choose to fly that I will be ripped to pieces and eaten. No mercy. Although I do have six legs, are six legs better than two wings? They are up above, high, swooping around and they want their feast.

An Ode to Sorn

My strength is failing fast (Said the space-king to his men)
I shall never roam these stargates - like a conqueror again.

Ain't no Shakes here Sunshine

Everybody talks about the shakes in PvP. Only those who have experienced it can truly understand its intensity, that brief feeling of euphoria. It's a gripping and heart pounding feeling. Sure, over time some of the veterans will tell you that the shakes don't last. Honestly, that accounts for any drug, your body and nervous system develops a tolerance. If you could bottle this feeling up, particularly the rush that one experiences in his early days of PvP then you'd be a millionaire. You'd also be responsible for a major problem. There would be an epidemic of Gaming Junkie Shake Syndrome, people would quite probably slump and die at their keyboards if they had access to this feeling on tap. It would be disastrous. The shakes are good in moderation.

On The Campaign Trail: Vultures

Planetside.

I didn't know why I was here or what in fact I was doing. Some random dingy motel away from the spacelanes, just a wannabe reporter and his ZX-20 hoverbike. My head throbbed from the ugly hangover that was creeping in. The Fear. All night spent with my head in papers, notebooks scribbled full of words, a jangled old mess now hazed by the many bottles of beer and liquor consumed. I clutched at the fabled CSM White Paper as if it was some kind of holy scripture. It wasn't. 

The Machine

Blog Banter 45: Propaganda.

Bling Abaddon

An Abaddon was running a mission in Curse region. Two people in local, just him and me. My covert ops buddy was a few jumps out and I was in a capsule after dropping off a hull in nearby Sendaya.

Changing Faces

Fresh out of Military School.

B-Type Conundrum

Since the removal of the static DED complexes a few months ago now, the cost of certain items has skyrocketed. I wanted to have a quick peek at two of the more popular items from the loot drops of the 2/10 sites, the Gistii B-Type Small Shield Booster and the Gistii B-Type 1MN Afterburner.

Postcard: Lokis

Led by a couple of Guardians, a swarm of Lokis are spat out of the station undock.

Do you insure your ships?

I have a confession. I don't.

After reading this article on clone upgrades and ship insurance it got me thinking. I can not for the life of me remember the last time I insured a ship. It's just something that I never sustained a habit for doing. But why?

MIN0R THREAT

Duke Thunderhorse, an old corpmate of mine has opened up a new corp called MIN0R THREAT. Along with another old scallywag in Judge Sarn, who is also on board with the project, this is a corp that looks to be an exciting prospect.

Some Thoughts on Falcons, Winning and Urgent Means

In loving memory of all who have lost their ship to the merciless dice roll. They chose danger in the service of charity and truth. 

R.I.P.

Whose Drum Is It Anyway?

From inside the depths of the castle the drum beats loudly. A madman is stirring and from beyond the vast deep the noise rumbles like thunder booming. Nervous excitement. Martyrs ready themselves as the tune of war gathers momentum, blitzing its way through the void and threatening to shatter the landscape as we know it.

Fear of the Jungle

Nullsec is a jungle.