Diving into PsycheDiver's Psyche

Moving...

2009-10-24T17:33:00.002-04:00

Been a LOOONG time eh?

A lot has happened in my life, the totality of it could be described as a complete annihilation... a sundering of the basic structure of my existence. I've been rebuilding it little by little, and now I've come to the blogs.

I'm moving away from blogger and going to wordpress. I'm taking the advice I got all those months ago and creating specific blogs for each topic.

gigaer.wordpress.com will be my EVE blog. nothing up there at the moment but I hope to be posting a few times a week. I'll be going over my old fiction to fix it up, as well as continuing where I left off.

psychediver.wordpress.com will be my general geek blog. All that stuff that had and would have cluttered this blog will be there.

orderofdragons.wordpress.com will be a spiritualism blog, specifically my current journey into neo-paganism. Think of it as an online grimoire.

tastytoronto.wordpress.com will be my food blog. This one actually has a small staff of friends. Restaurant reviews, as well as recipes of our own.

hornygeek.wordpress.com is my sex/relationships blog. Do I really need to explain this one?

Big plans for the future. Hope to see you around!

CK's EVE Blog Banter #7: So Vast...

2009-05-03T20:21:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the seventh installment of the EVE Blog Banter , the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux . The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here . Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

This month's topic comes to us from yours truly, and I ask: "What 3 things haven't you done in EVE and why? Would you be willing to try one day? Why so? Why not?"

---

I've been playing EVE for about a year now, and looking back at my time so far, I find it hard to believe I've done so little. For instance... I'm still a PvP virgin, even though I'm in an an alliance with a long and strong tradition of it. Mostly, I've been mission-running and skill-training. That said, it'll be easier to mention three things that I PLAN on doing in the relatively near future. These are not the only things, but they are the first to come to mind.

1) Scanning: I have not once used the scanner, probes or anything connected to them. Hunting players, exploration... nada. I have guides that I have yet to read. I'm not sure what will be the pivotal moment I actually get around to this, but it will certainly be interesting. Will I finally check out wormholes? Will I try being a pirate for a day? Time will tell.

2) Mining to Production: Considering I have no skills trained for such endeavors, this may seem a little odd at first. Will I be training an alt? No. Will I start a second account? No. The fact is my wonderful life-partner is on this path and I'm just going to tag along for the ride. Watch over her, learn with her and probably play for her when she's not home. Everything from mining Veld to production of every tech level. Why have an alt when you have a wife! ;)

3) PvP: I want to learn it all. All scales, all types, all tactics. I don't care if my killboard looks like a monkey was in my pod, I want to experience it all, and perhaps, SOMEDAY... be good at it. I hope to be in a position next year to assist my brothers and sisters in the Ushra'Khan in the next alliance tournament, so I'm going to have to at least get the basics down FAST.

So... yeah... a lot to cover. Sad that some of these things conprise the experiences of the average player's first week or month. Oh well. The journey continues.

o7

---

Participants:

One Man and His Spaceship, Blog Banter 7 - Expanding My Horizon
I am Keith Neilson, EVE Blog Banter #7 - What do you want to do today?
Rifter Drifter, Blog Banter 7: Trinity
Roc's Ramblings, Blog Banter #7 - The me I am not
Morphisat's Blog, Eve Blog banter #7 - Treading waters unknown
Sweet Little Bad Girl, Blog Banter 7 - Roads Not Followed
A Mule in EvE, DD, defend against a gank & POS gunning
Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, Choices
The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, "One, Two, Three...three things....hahahahaha"
The Ralpha Dogs, Road Not Taken... Or Not
Melindhra's Universe, EVE Blog Banter #7 - Where no one has gone before
Life in Low Sec, Blog Banter #7: Possibilities
EVE Guru, EVE Blog Banter 7
CrazyKinux's Musing, EVE Blog Banter #7: Eh, nobody told me you could do this in EVE!
Diary of a Pod Pilot, [OOC] EVE Blog Banter #7: Stones left unturned
Nefchast’s Gaming Blog, CrazyKinux’s EVE Blog Banter #7
Rip Lacunae, Past & Future (Eve Blog Banter 7)
Flashfresh - The Pirate, EVE Blog Banter #7: This isn't me...
A Merry Life and a Short One, EVE Blog Banter #7: Syphilis Doesn't Count
Rip Lacunae, Past & Future (Eve Blog Banter 7)
Broadside, EVE Blag Banter #7: aspiration
Into the Unknown, Eve Blog Banter #7: What haven’t I done?
Diary of a Space Jokey, Blog Banter #7: So much to do, so little time

The Simple Truth Over Beer

2009-04-27T08:09:00.006-04:00

((My version of my latest get-together with Roc. His version is HERE.))

I'd been keeping my eye on Roc Wieler for some time now, which hasn't been all that difficult. The Ushra'Khan have eyes and ears in many places. I felt responsible for him, in a way. I'd set him along a path of hardship. I knew he was more than capable of seeing his destiny through, but no man should bare the burden that awaits him alone.

Pride. It was a failing in him. A man of his accomplishments and talent could hardly be faulted for having pride, but pride turns to hubris so quickly that one often doesn't notice until it's too late. One needs people close to keep them grounded. So I made myself visible. He knew I was always available to him, but perhaps an offering of company would help. Turns out, it did.

We met in a shambling station in some backwater system that I can't recall the name of. I don't think either of us had ever been there before and I was dubious as to why he chose some out of the way location. Was he working nearby? In any case a quick check of a station map and a magtrain ride got us to The Gate. I've been in some sketchy joints before, but this one gave me pause. Still, Roc seemed intrigued.

We entered and took a booth. The waitress wasn't the most attractive, but being around the poor and ill so often, she was still a sight for sore eyes. I was surprised how kind Roc was to her. Usually people with his lifestyle (capsuleers mostly) don't take courtesy into account. The more I learned about Roc, the more I understood why he was on the path he was.

The last time Roc and I met, it was... well tense doesn't do it justice really. My life could have ended a few times over. This was different. I didn't have to check the other patrons and wonder who was with him because I doubt he would have acted like this in front of them. It was oddly genuine. Does that mean I put him at ease, or perhaps the opposite. In any case I knew that there was a lot on his mind and I'd give him time to open up on his own terms.

"It is good to see you again, Roc Wieler." I said. It was truly good to see him. I have to say that I admired him in many ways. His accomplishments and his prestige. I doubted I'd ever warrant such attention in my own life, but that's didn't bother me.

"Good to see you too." he responded. The tone told me a lot. There was a duality in it, an unease. I guess I did put him a little off his game. He probably considered me a unique factor. Something he could barely conventionally define, much less control. That in its own way was healthy. It forced growth.

"What troubles you my friend?" I asked. I use the word friend with total conviction. The line between associate and friend is very clear to me. Friendship is a bond. I could tell Roc was trying to lower his inner walls when the waitress came by with beer and asked us if we were ready to order. With Roc's shenanigans, I'd barely looked at the menu. Roc asked for some more time while I poured our beers. I enjoy pouring beer for some reason. Visually it's almost hypnotic.

Roc wasn't ready. Those walls were being stubborn, so I changed the subject and told him about what I've been up to. I shared tips for kandjal training, what life in the Ushra'Khan was like, seeking out and helping those who had fallen so far that society chooses to forget them. He seemed enthralled.

The waitress came by again asking about our orders. Again I'd neglected to look at the menu, but instead of sending her away again, I ordered the first thing my eyes found. The Gate Delight. After looking again, I was unable to find a description, and the waitress was already gone. I got the sensation I'd just made a huge mistake, but continued to weave tales for Roc's enjoyment. I could tell he was much more relaxed by the time our orders arrived.

The food was... well... the food was bad. Not as bad as the music though. Oddly enough, Roc seemed to be enjoying both. The beer was good though, and sometimes you need to appreciate the little things. Roc seemed to be really enjoying the tunes and even went so far as to hoot and holler and clap. I was so surprised that I just had to sit back and observe. Would anyone believe me if I told them this story? Probably not.

Eventually he spoke his true mind. "Why me?" he asked. That question pleased me. I'd asked myself that question many times in my life. It invites healthy introspection. I quickly answered my simply turning it around on him in the form of a reversed question. It's a dirty trick but it works. It was obvious he wanted me to give him an out, or at least a reason why he must feel this burden. People tend to focus on burdens they don't want or didn't choose to take on, thereby making the burden seem bigger and giving them an excuse for not thinking about the actual tasks at hand. This, I expected.

He asked if there were others who could do this instead of him. Ah, pride. Of course there were others. Shakor could install some puppet Sanmatar to take over for him, or I could do it all from behind the scenes. Neither would be perfect but both would be doable. The truth was that Roc was indeed perfect for the role, but should he fail we'd have to enact some sort of back-up.

I'd hurt him. Anyone in his position would be hurt. He suggested he could just do nothing. He said he could just walk away and leave me to my own devices.

There it was again. That same sense of primal threat that I picked-up on our first encounter. He was a master of body language. I was taller and bigger, but I was still younger and he'd seen a lot more combat that I have. I had to seemingly ignore it though. If I backed down I'd lose any chance of earning his trust. He's have to trust me if he was going to be the one we all needed him to be. I took another bite of my delight and chose my words carefully.

"It has never been about my needs, my friend. The question before you is this, Can you 'just do nothing' and be satisfied with that?" I said. I had to suppress an inward laugh. There was a time where I despised people who talked like me. People who compelled us to look within to find answers. To be true to ourselves and bare witness to the universe as it really was. Still, I may have let a small grin escape.

Suddenly, Roc excused himself from the table. Had I annoyed him so much that he felt the need to leave? I watched him as he left the table. In fact he moved away from the door and towards the waitress by the bar. I don't think he found her attractive or anything, but he needed an intermission in our heavy discussion in order to decompress. From what I could read from lips and body, he asked her to dance. They actually did before she disengaged and returned to her work. Roc returned to the table with an odd look of defeat on his face. Had he been turned down?

"No, I couldn't live with myself." he said in an exhale.

"I don't know how anyone could?" I answered, ignoring the most recent events for his sake. "How can you know there is a need, and that you could potentially fill that need, and still remain inactive?How can someone just sit back and do nothing but gripe about the state of affairs, but not put forward or act on solutions to the very things they detest? Bitching and moaning about it does nothing but drag other down to suffer in your self-inflicted wallowing of despair. Do something. Stand up. Be heard. Make a difference."

Damn, I thought to myself. I can be sorta inspiring when I talk like Vakor did to me.

It did the trick. The walls were down and he was being honest with himself. I started to see how lost he felt. This path was not just foreign to him, part of him was actively resisting it. I'd seen this so many times in my travels. So many Minmatar painted spirituality with the same brush as the Amarr. Hate one, hate the other.

"I don't know how to get to where I want to be." He said with a slight amount of defeat in his voice. This was good. Not that earth was fertile and could be tilled. I didn't need to say anything really. I gave him a look that told him the answers were within himself if he just looked mindfully. He was, and I think he found them.

After letting his inner eye search a bit I set my utensils down and gave the impression I was about to speak. "So help me, if you say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, I'll punch you." he said. He really needed to lighten the mood and I had to call upon all my faculties in order to not laugh. I needed to keep control of the conversation in order to earn his respect.

In honesty, I didn't know what he should do. I barely knew what I should do. His path was just as treacherous and mysterious as my own. He felt alone, but sometimes I felt just as lost as he did. However unsure I was though, I couldn't let him see it. If I was going to help him, I needed to exude an aura of trust and confidence. He needed to believe that I knew what I was doing.

"Roc Wieler, your path is your own. It is not mine to dictate. You must make your own decisions, and live with the consequences of those choices. I do not know what is in store for you, and when my second sight gives me directions, it's always vague, often confusing, and open to interpretation. I simply try to offer what advice I may, but I will not live anyone's life for them. That is not my role. Excuse me, miss; I would like to pay for our fine meals please."

We parted ways soon after that on good terms. I think I managed to help, at least I hope I did. That night I meditated on his life and his future. It's a long road ahead.

o7

Left 4 Dead is actually quite lively!

2009-04-13T08:46:00.003-04:00

Yeah I know, lack of posting. I got a lot of bad shit going on right now. I'll still try and get more up here.

Anywho. A few months back I promised a good friend of mine that if he got a Xbox Live Gold subscription, I'd pick up Left 4 Dead within 24 hours of me being notified. He was enjoying Left 4 Dead offline quite a bit. A little less than 2 weeks ago he told me he had gotten a subscription, and was calling me to task. I'm not sure if I made the time limit, but nobody seemed to care.

I'm getting picky about my games these days. They really have to interest me or excel at something to make me spend my precious money and time on them. I followed Left 4 Dead's development, merely because it was in the news so often. That said, I didn't see what the fuss was about. I thought it was just another FPS. Now, I'm here to tell you that I was right, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in this case.

To make my first point, I'll reference the online play of other FPS games like Halo 3 and Gears of War 2. I love team combat, and I love a team that REALLY works together. I believe I've made that clear on many occasions in past posts. It adds an undefinable and precious quality that can't really be simulated. A bond. In Left 4 Dead, the primary mode of gameplay is team-based, and teamwork isn't just an advantage, it's mandatory. You either work as a team, or epic fail is in your future. The computer is pretty smart as well, which helps if you don't have people to play with.

The second point is an intuitive program called "The Director". Basically it's an A.I. program that monitors your stress levels, field of view and a few other factors to randomly generate events. Sounds simple, but the end result is a wild and unpredictable experience that really separates this game from its ilk.

The different kinds of rabid zombies with their specific audio queues, their massive numbers and the random nature of play that FORCES you to work and work well with your team. Achievements are also tuned to promote teamwork.

The story is more an homage to the zombie movie than anything else. You have four characters (a war vet, a black I.T. guy, a tattooed biker and a hottie college student who looks a lot like my fiance) going through four different familiar scenarios (an abandoned subway, an airport, a farm and the streets). They push the homage theme to the limit by running ending credits which display level stats at the end of each campaign.

If you haven't given it a shot, give the free demo a try. If you're looking for a good FPS to play with friends, this is certainly a great choice.

o7

CK's Blog Banter #6

2009-04-04T22:15:00.001-04:00

Sadly for various reasons I was not able to participate in this blog banter, but I see no reason not to celebrate those that did.

Participants:

Speed Fairy, The Hand of BoB
CrazyKinux's Musing, No where to go...
A Mule in EVE, Rolling to the Warzone
The Ralpha Dogs, Two Tales of Glory and Honor
One Man and his Spaceship, Times they are changing
OZ's House of the Evil Dead, Every betrayal contains a perfect moment, a coin stamped heads or tails with salvation on the other side
The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, Who the Hell are They?....
I am Keith Nielson, He Gave Up the Stars
Life in Low Sec, Six Degrees of Seperation
A Merry life and a Short One, Die Bard
Roc's Ramblings, Mythology
Dense Veldspar, EVE Blog Banter #6
Letrange's EVE Blog, A toast to the disolution of BoB
Fumbling in Space, Scarnan Vs The Fleeing Bankrupt Hordes

o7

Dollhouse... thus far.

2009-03-25T09:31:00.003-04:00

Last night I finally managed to find a working torrent for the latest ep of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

For those of you who have been watching the show and quit because you didn't see the plot and premise going anywhere, this is the episode where your patience will be rewarded.

If you've been asking yourself what the show is trying to say, it's pretty much outlined here in a straightforward way. Given that such technology exists, many people will not be able to resist abusing the power to manipulate other people so completely and exactly. One "expert" in the ep even goes so far as to say that if the Dollhouse does exist, we as a species will cease to matter.

That's the premise, but how well is it executed? VERY well! I have to give major credit to Eliza Dushku (Echo/Caroline) for her ability to not only play a mindless doll in a entirely non-mindless way, but to play one or two new characters every episode and make the viewer feel that you've been playing that character for a whole season.

Tahmoh Penikett needs special mention in this ep. I loved him in BSG and I was really excited to see how he did in this outing. It wasn't really until now that I felt his character (FBI Agent Paul Ballard) had anything to offer. Now we know Paul has his own personal issues, isn't alone in his chase and doesn't have the backing of his peers.

Olivia Williams plays Adelle DeWitt, who runs the Dollhouse. I honestly can't tell if I like Adelle or not, but it's an extremely intriguing character and Olivia plays it very well. On the one hand she seems cold and calculating, but on the other she seems to have a heart which she's constantly trying to keep under lock and key for fear of it getting her killed. I'm anxious to see where she goes.

The whole show is about using people, and even the people doing the using are being used themselves. Perhaps in a broader sense, the show is about illusions of reality. People aren't just using and being used, but their purposefully placing illusions on themselves, mostly in order to survive the world they find themselves in.

All-in-all a great show. Slow start, but very much worth the build-up. It's the only show I'm keeping track of now that BSG is done. Since the show is still more-or-less in its infancy, there's little to speak of. The plot is freshly set and thee characters are established and moving. From here it gets interesting.

o7

PS: The BSG full-impressions won't be along until I get the full-series blu-ray set.

BattleStar Galactica and the United Nations

2009-03-20T15:01:00.003-04:00

A truly epic event. I felt I should post about it, especially considering in about 6 hours the final episode will be aired.

READ ABOUT IT HERE.

SO SAY WE ALL!!!

o7

Impressions - Star Ocean: The Last Hope

2009-03-18T09:32:00.003-04:00

Sorry about the lack of posts. RL and my other blog have consumed most of my time. I'll try to post here more.

I love JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games). Been dying to get into another one since I finished .hack//G.U. I purchased the latest Star Ocean game for the Xbox360. I've just recently gotten to the second DVD, so I think I've covered enough to get the general idea of where the game is going. I'll cover this in a good vs. bad format.

THE GOOD.

- Real-time combat. Some of my favorite RPGs are departures from the turn-based format most commonly known from the Final Fantasy series. I have an appreciation for turn-based, but RT just has more kick to it.

- Length. I knew it would be a lengthy affair as the case contained 3 DVDs. This filled me with hope, since I hate short RPGs. I need to be consumed by the epic, and that can't be done properly in short amount of time. That's not a rule, but a pervasive observation.

THE BAD.

- The Characters. As bland and cookie-cutter as they get. Not just that, but the script is horrible.

- Way too many cutscenes. I love cutscenes, but they have to be good. MGS4 was good, so it didn't bother me. .hack//G.U. had quite a few and they were awesome. These are long and quite boring.

- Graphical detail. This is a Square Enix game. I've seen what they're capable of and this would have been disappointing 5 years ago. bland designs, no detail and spotty movement. Total lack of commitment to quality. This is probably the most glaring and disappointing part of the game, and since there are so many long cutscenes, the player is subjected to sub-par work constantly.

- Verbose combat system. I like they RT aspect, but there's just too much here. Blindsides and bonus boards and chains and on and on. Less would have been more here.

All in all it seems like a game they put out just to have something on the market. Quantity well over quality, but the market seems to like it. It's not a horrible game and if you like JRPGs then you'll probably enjoy this to some extent.

At least it's something to keep my busy until Final Fantasy XIII comes out.

o7

I Watched the Watchmen.

2009-03-09T08:38:00.003-04:00

I bought 9 tickets for the Watchmen movie. Family, friends, etc... I don't expect to be paid back for any of them.

I'd just finished reading the book a week ago and was very skeptical as to if it would translate well to the screen. After all, almost everyone who has touched this film in the past has called it unfilmable before quitting. Early impressions by other geeks and cult experts put my mind at ease to some degree, but I still went in with a critical mind.

WATCHMEN DELIVERS. GO SEE IT. I COMMAND IT.

You can stop reading now if you want. I'll go on, but I seriously have nothing to say that has not already been said by thousands.

Seriously, on a scale from 1-10, Watchmen scores about an 86.

Other than director Zack Snyder (of 300 fame), there's really nobody in the credits that you'd easily recognize. That said, EVERYBODY puled their weight, right down to the cameos. I love that David Hayter (Solid Snake *squee*) helped wrote the screenplay.

One thing that struck me was the awesome soundtrack. I was not sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. My friend Kurtis and I were singing along to many of the tracks at an almost inaudible level. If they put out a CD I'll buy.

The movie was not perfect however. The ending was changed slightly by switching the alien threat hoax with Dr. Manhattan. I guess it was a smart move to keep things moving and simplify the situation. Still, I was hoping to see all the dead bodies in NYC. My mother was already cringing from all the blood and sex. She's not oblivious to such things, but the blood did turn her off a little.

I thought it was hilarious how many people took REALLY young children to see this. I was shocked by the number of pre-teens. That made the two sex-scenes extra funny. I'm sure one or two kids got the birds and the bees talk that night (side-note! I did a quick tally of how many of my friends ever got that talk, and NONE of them did! I didn't. Does anyone anymore?). People, check the ratings on movies before you give your kids cash to see them. I saw people complaining at customer services because of the level off sex and violence that they were "tricked" into exposing their kids to. Give me a break. I'll rant on this another day.

I see a lot of people asking why Rorschach had to die. The easiest way of answering that is asking yourself if he could have lived. The world changed, and someone like him would have had no place in it. In that regard Dr. Manhattan did him a favour, and I believe Rorschach knew it. I don't think any of them expected Rorschach to be a real threat to the hoax.

Favorite character = Nite Owl. Anyone who know me knows I'd connect with his character instantly. Always the dreamer and the idealist.

o7

Weekend writing... hopefully.

2009-03-06T09:14:00.003-05:00

You know I'm dead-on-arrival when I'm writing about mediocre weekend plans. Sorry.

Hope to get a good amount of writing done. I've been handed an opportunity for some good RPing by Roc and I have a little planning to do on that front. Also continuing work on some submissions I plan for ENN.

I need to work on another blog I'm running. Yes I've got another blog. It's a sex blog.

I need to set up Skype on my PC.

I may jump on Live for some mindless fragging if I feel the urge.

I want to see if any of my corpmates are in empire this weekend. Group mission-running is a great way to field-test ship setups.

My lady has taken a pause from learning skills to quickly get herself into a mining barge. AFK mining in Hulm isn't all that AFK if you have to dock every two minutes. Ever seen a barge with two basic miners? You will...

Next week is Apocrypha week! Finally get to find out if my comp will be able to run the premium lite client at all. Here's hoping. At minimum I'll be happy if I can just change my skills until I build my new comp in the fall. I don't want to be paying for a game I can't play. If I can't even do that I may have to take... extreme measures.

I may go see Watchmen this weekend.

Should probably hit the gym Saturday. May end up at Carl's place again playing MGS4.

I'm being forced to take some sort of vacation from my job. They say I need time to decompress after a year. I've decided to take a 4-day weekend at the end of the month. That's the weekend I'm taking my parents to the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.

Weekend starts tonight with the next episode of Dollhouse and BattleStar Galactica (only 3 eps left!).

I'm expecting a call between now and Wednesday from a Master Corporal Willis regarding recruitment into the 32 Brigade Armoured Recon unit.

Those are the plans. We'll see how it goes.

o7

Mind-Bomb! Issue #3

2009-03-05T08:24:00.004-05:00

Since I've discovered Twitter, I've been doing this sort of thing there every morning as I go through my feeds. Check me out @PsycheDiver :)

It's the PS2's 9th birthday today. While some people think the Dreamcast is the best vintage system, I still think the PS2 is superior. The sheer scope of titles to choose from really trumps any system before it. If you want a gaming system on the cheap, this is a great idea.

Microsoft has dropped the subscription price for their Xbox Live Gold service for a limited time to $39.99 for 1 year. It's pure speculation, but I think MS is trying out a lower price point in an effort to find a new permanent price point. I doubt free is an option, but dropping the price is a great idea. There's a huge difference in upkeep costs between Live and PSN.

I love twitch gaming, and Unreal Tournament 3 is a must-buy for me when I get a PS3. The reason I'd rather having it for my PS3 over my 360 is because you can use a mouse/keyboard setup with a PS3 (which is vital in twitch gaming) and my comp can't run UT3 for graphical reasons. This Titan Pack may be delayed, but it still looks awesome.

I've been jumping on and off Fallout 3 lately. I'm in no real rush to finish it. I didn't even know there was a lighting issue, but now that they're fixing it, I'll have to give it a look.

So on March 16 in San Diego, it'll be Sony Online Entertainment Day. Yeah, I'm not sure why this is important either. What I'm wondering is if other cities will run with this idea. There are a lot of profitable studios in Montreal... could a Bioware Day be in our future?

The British Royal Air Force wants gamers to fly their UAVs. If I were a British citizen, I would be jumping on this QUICK. I wonder if the Canadian AF would be open to this idea...

Cute.

Amazon is entering the used game business. IMHO, Gamestop might have cause to worry. Amazon does one thing really really well... bulk. The have worldwide coverage and a shipping system that works very well. It's a name a lot of people trust and will use. You can get used games off Gamestop's website, but it's not pushed. There is an instant-gratification element with actually going into a store and grabbing a game right there, but I think a lot of people will be willing to wait if it means better selection at a similar price.

I don't like Leo DiCaprio. I think he's a great actor (I love The Aviator) but for some reason he pisses me off. There are a few actors that do that to me and I'm starting to really ask myself why. Maybe this movie will be the turning point for Leo and I.

One step closer to the Cyberbrain, and possibly a cure for chronic depression in the near future.

Is real life law copying an X-Men story, or is it the other way around? California's Proposition 8 concerning anti-gay-marriage and Proposition X are mirror-images of each other.

Has NASA become a failure? Without knowing the specifics of future plans and funding issues, I can't say for sure. What I will say is that even though NASA may go through some radical transformations in the future, their mandate to explore and experiment must always remain a priority to the government that funds it.

What would the holodeck be like if it was reimagined today? In a word, AWESOME.

Curing blindness with a bionic eye? Yeah, did that.

A lot of people are familiar with the Bacon Explosion. Some off us are even planning on making it this summer. Maybe not-so-amazingly, the guys who came up with the heart-attack-inducting log now have a book deal. Who knows if it'll sell.

Jon Stewart can do epic rants very well, but the great ranters of our society choose those rare topics that really light a fire in the belly of the nation. This is epic.

o7

Worst 911 Usage Ever?

2009-03-04T08:39:00.002-05:00

I was going to continue this little group project, but I'd like some more time to brainstorm and to allow for more people to contribute. Maybe I'll make it a Monday thing. Come one people, you can do this!

If you ever had to question if McPuke's food rotted you brain with the same brutal efficiency that it did your bowels, this shit should put that question to bed.

Latreasa Goodman, 27 from Florida called 911 (AN EMERGENCY SERVICE IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW) three fraking times because her local McDonald's did not have Chicken McNuggets, and could not get her money back. She was offered something else from the menu, but she was steadfast in her steely resolve to die a slow chicken-byproduct-fueled death.

I'd like to focus on one specific point. She called 911 THREE (3) times. Even REAL emergencies don't abuse the system to that extent.

HERE'S THE FIRST CALL.

HERE'S THE SECOND CALL.

AND, OH YES, THE THIRD CALL!

This "women" REALLY wants those nuggets eh?

Now, I'm a happy-go-lucky sorta guy. I let a lot slide in my day as such a skill is critical to the integrity of my sanity, but for the life of me I can't decide whether to laugh or cry or rage concerning this. I want to ask if people are REALLY this flatscan, but I know the answer, and it fills me with a despair that could swallow civilizations.

This is why I'm happy The Darwin Awards exists.

BAH! I need to laugh!

o7

Moving to the music of EVE (Brainstorm)

2009-03-03T09:38:00.004-05:00

After listening to Roc's Bio I started to think how music can lend a lot of flavour to our EVE relationships. Personally I tend to make music videos in my head all the time by linking a song to a person or group or relationship. I thought I'd put some of those ideas out and see if I can get some community brainstorming going.

For instance...

Mynxee = Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Were Made For Walking.

I'm going to come up with a bunch tonight and post them tomorrow. Please contribute any ideas, half-ideas or even requests (like "Do something for the Goons" or "use this song").

SPEAK UP!

o7

Killzone 2 and dmy problem with FPS.

2009-03-02T08:48:00.003-05:00

After a good workout and a burger with my friend Carl he told me he managed to rent a copy of Killzone 2, and that I should go over and check it out. It was an offer I could not refuse.

I play a lot of first-person shooter titles. I'm very familiar with the genre and I know what to expect and what to demand. Killzone 2 was not new territory.

Perhaps that is the problem.

Now, it's a great-looking game. The cinematic and production qualities were very high and I genuinely enjoyed the experience until I ran into a glitch. A door-opening NPC character went though a door and it closed before I could follow. I felt I'd gotten the gist of the game and went on to another title.

The fact that I was pleased with the title, yet turned down the opportunity to play longer was a red flag for me. The quality of this game SHOULD have had me playing longer, but I declined. During the long ride home, I think I came up with a reason why.

I play A LOT of FPS games. Perhaps I've reached a saturation point. Killzone 2 was a great game, but there was nothing truly original about it. Perhaps I've come to a point where I need a dash of innovation to go with one of my favorite game genres.

It shouldn't be this way. I should be able to fully appreciate a game like Killzone 2.

Perhaps this is something akin to MMO burnout. If you're inundated with a certain game you could start to crave something else. It's conceivable that such an effect could extend to a whole genre.

Perhaps that's why I like Mass Effect and Gears of War so much. These titles are FPS-like but with key differences that change up the tried-and-true rhythms. Games like Halo, Killzone and Call of Duty are great, but rely on methods that have been used, reused and perhaps overused.

I'm having a similar problem with anime and manga. I can't seem to watch a show that plays on horribly over-used formulas. BUT I still appreciate cheesy mecha shows, shounens like Bleach, etc...

I think I should give Killzone 2 more of my time when I get the opportunity. Not for any sense of dedication to the genre or series. I need to find out if I'm getting picky, bored or jaded. The first one can be a good thing, the second one can be fixed easily, but the third one has me worried since it could keep me from enjoying quality titles.

o7

BS Angel's Blog Banter: My Lady and Gaming.

2009-02-28T10:23:00.004-05:00

Welcome, welcome to Blog Banter, the monthly blogging extravaganza headed by bs angel! Blog Banter involves our cozy community of enthusiastic gaming bloggers, a common topic, and a week to post articles pertaining to said topic. The results are quite entertaining and can range from deeply insightful to ROFLMAO. Any questions about Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

And the topic is : Gaming with your significant other!

I game. I game a lot. When I first met my lady many years ago she led me to believe she was just as hardcore a gamer as I was, but since she was shy I didn't press the issue, instead taking her word for it.

Later, when we began living together, I realized the extent of her noobness. Her prowess extended to JRPGs, the Harvest Moon series and little else. This didn't bother me per-se, but I do believe it came to bother her. She saw how much enjoyment I took out of more varied and challenging games, as well as my inclusion into gaming culture and wanted more and more to be a part of it. I took the role of encourager, companion, trainer and opponent.

A few years now into her journey, she's made some progress. We play Castle Crashers on and off, she owns a PSP and is slowly growing her collection of games for it, and peeking over my shoulder to perhaps gleam some interesting in other titles.

She's tried FPS games but they don't seem to pull her interest enough for her to continue training. Every few months I get her to try again and see if the genre can put some hooks into her. She has started playing EVE-Online, which is arguably the most hardcore video games ever made. She watched me play for a little under a year before she allowed me to pull her in as well. She's just starting and I'm documenting her progress here on this blog.

We wanted to start playing D&D, but it's been impossible to find a group to play with. That search continues. We tried getting into CCGs with YuGiOh. I've been a Magic: The Gathering player since 4th Edition and was stoked to start playing something again, but games like that are so much better when you have more than one opponent to choose from. It got old and we didn't continue.

She still plays JRPGs, but so do I. Really looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII. Also need to get a copy of Star Ocean 4.

We talk about games often, watch each other play and play together when the opportunity presents itself.

Gaming, like life and love, is a journey. We continue together upon it.

o7

Other participants!
Gaming with my wife, You could be doubling alone, Next Gen Killed Our Gaming Relationship, Forced Perspective, Playing With My Toys, From Gaming Geek to Heroes Freak, My Lady and Gaming, Gaming with your significant other, Gaming Together, Maybe?, Girl Gamers = Hawt, Gaming with my significant other, Move Over Hott Boy, I Want to Play, Valentine's Day is for Gamers, Frag the Girlfriend!!, 'Til Mongoose Do Us Part

Certificates: Elite = 1337?

2009-02-27T08:39:00.002-05:00

After Energy Management V finished I took a second to update my certificates. Last time I did it I had mostly standard and basic with a handful of improved. Now I have Core Capacitor at Elite.

It's my first elite cert, but I'm not sure if I feel any sense of accomplishment from it. I'm not really using them to plan my skills per se. I know what I need to do. It's cool to have them, but I'm not sure they had the effect CCP thought they would have. I wonder why that is...

QR has come and gone and Apocrypha is just around the corner, so I want to know what the long-term effects of certificates has been, especially from the players who are more than a year in (since we all know it's been helpful to the noobs).

Is it completely superfluous or can it be tweaked to be better? How would you tweak it?

o7

CK's Blog Banter #5: Everybody Needs Sombody.

2009-02-26T08:28:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the fifth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other EVE Blog Banters.

This month's topic comes to us from Mynxee of Life in Low Sec. She asks "Alts and Metagaming: Is playing two accounts who are logged in at the same
time and work together (hauler/miner, explorer/combat associate, trade alts in trade hubs) a form of metagaming that is "ruining the game"?"
articles at the bottom of this post!

I'll start this one with a little music. The song seems appropriate to the issue.

Metagaming to me is not a good or bad issue. It's a fact of life in MMOs. There are constructive uses for metagaming and others that tend to ruin the game for others, but in EVE metagaming is condoned more readily than in other games in the interests of realism.

A hauler alt for your miner. Explorer alt for your combatant. Trade alts for your indy. RP alts for your RP primary. These are all pretty harmless and do nothing but help a player create the most basic of personal support structures. Having a corp and alliance to go to for backup is nice, but when everyone is busy or AFK, you still got stuff that needs doing and it's in your best interests to figure a way to do it yourself efficiently.

It's really espionage that pisses a lot of people off. However, if you look at subterfuge and counter-intelligence IRL and extend it into the EVE fiction, then it's a fair assumption that one could change their appearance and identity quite easily in New Eden. Having a clone to download into that looks completely different from your original body but has the same brain isn't that difficult a concept to grasp in the world of flying internet spaceships.

Nobody on the receiving end of clandestine intelligence tactics is ever pleased, but that doesn't make it any less realistic.

So to answer the direct question, no. I don't think metagaming is ruining EVE because it embraced by the fiction.

Further into the issue, when it comes to programs and tools outside of EVE and you're asking yourself if this is "hurtful" metagaming, ask yourself if such a tool would not be available to an actual capsuleer. EVEMon, EFT, forums and killboards, etc... It's easy to see how such services would be at the ready for the capsuleer community just as it's at our disposal as gamers.

o7

Participants!

Participants:

Epic Misadventures, This is my Alt - There are many like it but this one is mine.
Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, I Missed This Month's Blog Banter!
A Mule in EvE, Meta what? Is it hurting EvE?
Morphisat's EVE Online Blog, Me, Myself and I
One Man And His Spaceship, Me and My Shadow
Ombeve, Blog Banter edition 5
Diving into PsycheDiver's Psyche, CK's Blog Banter #5: Everybody Needs Somebody
Dense Veldspar, Blog Banter
Ecliptic Rift, OOC: Blog Banter #5 Metagaming
The Ralpha Dogs, Me, Myself and I
Mad Rant, "Blog Banter - It's my party, and I'll alt if I want to...."
EVE Chick, The Handicapper General
The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, "...you see mate, it's a matter of leverage, savvy?..."
New Eden Diaries, It's only a game
Oz’s House of the Evil Dead, If You Can’t Ride Two Horses At Once, You Shouldn’t Be In The Circus
Diving into PsycheDiver's Psyche, Everybody Needs Sombody
more to come over the next few days!...

My life in EVE - Part 23.

2009-02-25T08:29:00.003-05:00

Truth be told, I haven't had much time to log on for anything but changing skills. I hope to change that soon, but I'll have to see.

Energy Management V finishes today after a fair amount juggling. It's a minor milestone for me. Next I have to do some serious work on my shield skills.

I dropped in on my corpmates last night as a friendly check-in. They were happy to see me and I them. We did some catching up on RL and IG issues. I didn't have much time but I'm getting the feeling COGN is being retasked internally for something more than just the same old combat duties. More on this later.

My lady is still in Hulm mining Veld and Scor in her Burst. Other than a small amount of juggling she's remained focused on her learning skills. She's got one more rank 1 skill to get from IV to V and then she can start on the higher ranked learning skills.

She has yet to get over her fear of venturing into less-secure space. That'll pass in time.

She's looking forward to joining EVE-Uni.

o7

Mass Effect 2: Teh Teasing Begins.

2009-02-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

Go HERE. Come back to my blog when you're done drooling.

I'll go over what we can gleam from this flash site point-by-point.

1) At some point, we see Sheperd "die".
2) We can expect a few returning characters. I'm also guessing we'll see a point in the game where the player takes direct control of characters other than Sheperd. They did this in KOTOR2.
3) The Geth are evolving. This could be due to adapting Reaver tech to themselves.
4) We may see a slightly improved graphics engine.
5) Cerberus will be a major antagonist.

Did I miss anything?

Other than the short teaser, we get to see two pieces of setting concept art, which looks great.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that Mass Effect is probably my favorite non-EVE game of all time. I've been waiting some something to sink my teeth into for some time now, and now I can't wait for more!

If you have a 360 and have not played it, it's a pretty easy game to find and you get a great amount of replayability, especially for an RPG. It's unique in its execution and gorgeous in its presentation. What's more, you'll be able to transfer character data from the first game to the second, so anyone looking at getting into the series is best served grabbing the first game before 2010. Lastly, it's a planned trilogy, so investing in the story now gets you in on a well-constructed epic.

I was hoping for more DLC for the first game, but there are big indicators that there will be much more DLC for the sequel.

PC players have Mass Effect as well, and I'm betting on a simultaneous release for the 360 and PC this time around. Also, don't rule out a PS3 version at some point.

o7

Death Tank: Like Worms but faster.

2009-02-23T08:46:00.003-05:00

I downloaded the trial for Death Tank, merely on the fact that I've seen some people talking about it. I didn't actually learn anything about the game, but the fact that the community was talking about it got my interested.

I've played Worms before on several platforms and through several iterations, the latest one being on the Nintendo DS. I liked it as a simple, time-based source of fun. There's something to be said about the causal fun of a time-based game.

This is like Worms... sorta.

Death Tank is not casual, in fact is seems to make every effort to make your playtime as frantic as possible. That's not a gripe, but an observation. It's real-time, and with up to 8 players in tanks on the field it gets pretty insane. What's more, after about 1 minute a random bombardment from above begins, blowing away those unlucky enough to have lasted that long until there's one left.

There's a money system which allows you to rack up cash for kills to buy upgrades and weapons over the course of 20 matches. There's not a huge amount of available items, but I guess there could be more on the way at some future date.

It's fun, but I think the price of the full game (1200 points) is a little steep. Give it a shot with the demo and tell me what you think.

Watchmen Movie Predictions.

2009-02-20T09:19:00.003-05:00

I'm almost done the graphic novel, and after watching every trailer and checking every ad and pic, I'm still not entirely sure the story will fully translate to the big screen.

Now let me be fair, it looks AWESOME and as far as I can tell the acting is spot-on. The mood I get from the book and movie samples are very similar to each other. My problem is two-fold.

1) Time. The graphic novel is long, and even if you cut away the pirate stuff and some other small side-stories, it's an epic to be told. I'm not sure if a running time has been announced, but if it's shy of 2.5 hours, I don't think it can be done well. If you have a confirmed running time or just want to argue this point, go ahead.

2) Super saturation. Anyone who's read the book knows there's nothing super or heroic about these characters. It's a vigilante story with costumes. The problem is that it doesn't come off like that in the trailers. It comes off as another superhero flick, and we may be reaching a mainstream media saturation point with that genre. Marvel and DC are pumping out movies as quickly as possible, and Heroes is still going strong on the small screen. Will people just write The Watchmen off before seeing it? It all depends on initial reviews. If the point is made that this is NOT a superhero movie, than it may just attract movie-goers.

Let me know what you think.

o7

Getting to know you...

2009-02-19T08:05:00.002-05:00

Looks like I've hit a new high on the number of people following my blog. I'd like to send a huge thanks to those who read my trash.

The series of tubes we call the internet can be a cold place sometimes. Impersonal. Today I hope to change my little corner of it a little.

23 questions. To be perfectly honest, it's a meme I got from a blogging friend of mine. I figured it would be an interesting thing to try.

If you want to answer but don't want to stamp your name to it, feel free to comment anonymously.

1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you ?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of blogging?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15. Tell me one weird fact about you:
16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Favorite fictional character of all time?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
26. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
27. What’s your favorite hangout?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Looking forward to your answers!

o7

Prano's Journey #6: Candlelight.

2009-02-18T08:49:00.003-05:00

Gods, I need a shower...

Not surprising really. I just spent the last 5 hours crawling around the old construction and maintenance tunnels of this station. Why would I do that? No, I'm not trying to pick up some extra cash as an engineer. I was looking for someone. A family of someones in fact.

You see, I ended up stuck here in Frarn for a few days while my Maelstrom receives an overhaul of its dorsal shield emitters. The problem with flying a new ship design is that they're often pretty rough around the edges. The downside of that is you spend a lot of time in dock receiving multiple overhauls or "patches" as the crews call them. The upside is that the cost for any repairs that need to be done at the same time are covered by the companies involved with the patching. If you run the ship especially hard and gather a lot of useful flight data, they may actually pay you for it. I think they call that "beta testing". I wonder where they come up with these terms...

Anyways, I was in my quarters, meditating as I often do. I turned off all the lights and lit a raw wax candle I'd made. Yeah, I make candles. It's a hobby. So I'm meditating, and suddenly I feel this slight pull on my shoulders. My vision blurs for a second and I find that I'm not in my quarters anymore. I'm in a dark, tight space. It's very cold and I'm very hungry and tired. It's hard for me to perceive what's around me, but by the light of the candle I can see a Minmatar woman sleeping in the corner, and a young girl no more than 6 or 7 years old huddled close to her for warmth. As I sharpened my focus, I could tell I was looking through the eyes of a man close to death. So hungry...

Somewhere on this station there was a family of Minmatar who were at the end of their rope. I had to find them fast.

I threw on a thick work jumper and gathered some light gear I thought would be useful for a search and rescue. Rope, flashlight, first-aid kit, water, nutrition bars and an Omnivice that I could use for medical scanning and light mechanical work. I also brought my candle, in case I needed to attempt a reconnect and get my bearings. I could still sense what general direction they were in, but it was very vague and a space station has a lot of nooks and crannies to hide in.

I crawled around between structural layers for hours, whacking my head and limbs more times than I can remember. Stepping in and rubbing against sludge and residues that I'd rather not describe. This space was never meant to be livable or navigable, and it was quite a task actually finding my way in at all. The cold of the void and the thin air made exerting myself difficult to say the least.

Not surprisingly, I eventually found myself lost. I was stuck between two metal walls only a foot apart no light except for my flashlight. My connection to the man had almost disappeared, so I took out my candle, lit it and stood there holding it and focusing on the flame. It was far more difficult to find them a second time than I thought, and I figured that was due to the man being close to death. All I could detect was a faint echo, pleading for rescue. They would not last much longer, and I had to hurry.

Another hour in the dark before I laid my hand on a bulkhead. Every other surface was ice cold, but this one was slightly warmer. Either there was an active shield energy conduit behind here and I'd die in seconds from radiation, or there was a family about to die from starvation. My Omnivice was useless at this point on account of the refractory metals used in armour plating. It took every bit of strength I had left, but I managed to rip off the metal plate.

The candle in the middle of the 5x5x5 space was down to a nub. My violent arrival had awoken the woman and child, scaring them into hysterics. I managed to calm them down by offering food and water in Matarese. Oddly, the man had not moved since my arrival. He was sitting up against the wall but slightly slumped over. I shook him slightly, saying that it was time to go. He didn't respond. That's when I noticed how cold he was to the touch, just like the bulkheads in the tunnels. I checked for a pulse, but couldn't find one.

His last effort in life was call for help the only way he could. He prayed by the candlelight. It was a miracle that I was here to answer his plea. I just wish I had gotten to them sooner.

So, woman and child are getting expert medical attention for now. They can stay in my quarters and regain their strength until I can find a home and source of income for them. I had the body of the man retrieved and brought to my ship. I'll give him a proper burial in space when I can.

It's been a long day. Time for that shower.

o7

Star Trek or EVE: As long as I get my green women.

2009-02-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

Hahaha...Orion Slave Girls!

This topic is inspired by a post over at Dense Veldspar. I'm not trying to steal his thunder, but I want to expand on my thoughts fully.

So here we have two distinct views of the future. Star Trek is a utopia where most of humanity's ills have been solved and we collectively strive to better ourselves. EVE is a dystopia where many of humanity's vices are still intact.

I believe that our future lies somewhere in the middle.

Now, I'll say that I'm a firm believer in Roddenberry's dream. I say dream because it's an ultimate goal to aspire to. It does glaze over a few things, but so does EVE.

How does ST glaze over things? Eugenics and transhumanism for one. A growing movement today, it'll be a key component to any space-faring civilization, but ST dismisses eugenics as a path to war (obviously a remnant of the shows WWII roots) and transhumanism as an easy way to lose ones humanity.

How does EVE glaze over things? It's called the Drake Equation. Part of this equation is a sort of half-life for a civilization. Either it reaches the stars or destroys itself when it reaches a critical point (also called a singularity) where its technological advancement has made it possible to do one or the other. There is a small chance colonization can be achieved without certain key resolutions, but the chances decrease geometrically as the race matures. The only reason the races of EVE exist is because they are actually 4 civilizations, each of which is (mostly) unified.

Where do I think we'll go? I think we'll manage to shake most (not all) of our cultural vices, but a sense of unified achievement, identity and purpose will be the key to survival. A unified humanity would in essence relieve us of ills compounded by a lack of international cooperation. War, famine, disease, etc...

The idea that concepts commonly known as the deadly sins will be somehow erased from humanity is ridiculous. There will always be war, especially on smaller scales. There will always be greed. There will always be gluttony and pride and wrath. It's part of our nature. The trial is to overcome these vices as best we can for the common good of our civilization.

The key thing to remember is that it's not about reaching an impossible utopia. The dreamers of our race must always push the whole of humanity to strive for as close to that utopia as possible. We will stumble and make horrible mistakes, but we must continue to evolve and improve until the last of us are gone from this universe. We must never give up, because if we do, we are doomed.

Hope some of that makes sense. I could go on and on but I'm having a hard time writing today.

o7

Review: Roc's Bio

2009-02-16T08:31:00.002-05:00

We all know Colonel Roc Wieler. We know him from his ramblings and his Capsuleer project.

BUT! Did you know he's also a talented musical artist? Yeah, I'm kinda shocked as well. Shocked because the quality of his album, entitled "Bio" is a success in artistry that so often proves elusive to people to do this for a lucrative living.

Bio, as the name suggests, acts as a musical autobiography of Roc's RP life up to the present. His days as a young slave, participating in the Minmatar rebellion, becoming a capsuleer, joining the militia and seeking answers. Each track usually is only a minute or two long and is accompanied with a small blurb in the insert booklet explaining the track's RP inspiration.

I've written quite a few CD reviews in my past, but I've never felt the need to examine it on a track-by-track basis, until now. I wrote my thoughts and impressions as I listened to it.

---

Prelude.
Heavy guitar. Almost punk rock. I get the sense of Roc being literally forged in flames from mercury-like steel.

Path To Freedom.
Remember that CG cartoon Shadow Warriors? This reminds me of that shows opening. Inspiring a sense of nobility being called to arms in the face of unknown challenges ahead. Cool drum work. The second half of the track picks up a bit and adds choir vocals, reminding me of Halo.

Child of New Eden.
A voyage begun within the depths of space. More electronic work here then the first two. Different vocals here than Path To Freedom. These remind me of The Fifth Element's blue Diva lady. Very cool in a futuristic discovery sort of way.

Bio.
The title track. Judging by the title, it's supposed to be about Roc's inner-self. The piano, brass and violin work among light electronic work and a slow tempo seem to depict a man of great pain and conviction. It almost has a Gaelic quality to it, which doesn't become apparent until the second half and actually it a little surprising, standing out sharply at first then coming together with the rest of the tune.

Capsuleer.
Liquid. I'm not sure if that makes any sense in an audio context, but I get the sense that I'm suspended within a tube of liquid, connected to machines. A large amount of the sound here has an electonica aspect to it.

Virgin Clone.
I get the sensation of preparing for battle. High-pitch brass work and deep drums. Varied choir work in the background, and a piano opening and closing the track. To be quite honest, I think this track and Capsuleer should trade titles.

Boosters.
Oh yeah, trippy. Odd sounds I can't begin to describe. Distortions on top of distortions. It's not a sense of incapacitation, rather a sense of hyper-reality, or hyper-stimulated senses. Slow, but exaggerating certain noise qualities that perhaps a normal human either can't sense or instinctually ignores. The longest track by more than a full minute, and I'm guessing that was on purpose.

Brutor.
Tribal drums. Dark. You get the sense you're in the middle of a desert near a campfire with warriors on a sacred hunt. The slight electronic element is interesting but to me doesn't quite fit as well as it should initially. The drums pick up the tempo two-thirds through. Warriors dancing?

Nemesis.
Methodical anger and determination are what I get there. Electonica mixed half and half with tight, almost raspy drums. There's a sound of a hammer hitting an anvil, but I'm not sure where that fits in to the image here. Perhaps a ship being built?

Black Hole.
This is very different from the other tracks. Jazzy and slow. A sense of a cool club and bar set in blues and purples, filled with people dancing provocatively but in slow motion. Almost old-school jazz. Worthy of the Seatbelts.

Malkalen.
Drums mixed at a medium-high tempo with a few violins and some vocals half way through. I get a sense of the world changing on the horizon.

War Declaration.
Majestic fleets slowly flying though space. Unimaginable destructive power and purpose. The strings are met with a deep throbbing drum and choir vocals with light electronic work to even out the edges.

Matar Colonel.
An army marching across a battlefield, led by a hero at the head of the formation. The troops gather their strength and pin their hopes on this man. Marching drums and high-pitch strings. Half-way through brass picks up but seems to come off melancholy for some reason. This track might be at home in a Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

Rise of The Republic.
The sense of a people rising up to wage war upon their oppressors. There's a sense of understood death here, as if the people will gladly throw themselves upon the swords of their enemies so that others may win the day. Fast tempo with sweeping brass and vocals. The drums here seem much more modern than the war drums in many of the other tracks. Again some electronic work to glue it together. Ends on a sorrowful note with a single violin and vocals.

Roc's Renegades.
A skilled team, tight-knit and defined in purpose. An electronic guitar is front-and-centre here. This really has a Bad Boys Jerry Bruckhiemer sounds to it.

Introspection.
What does the future hold of the Minmatar man forged in fire? That's what we ask ourselves here. Pretty much building on the first track with more layers. What's unique and quite surprising about this track is there are actual lyrics! Marcus, is that you? Dude, you can sing! Listening to this one can easily picture a music video featuring Roc and all the people intertwined in his story. This is easily my favorite track on the entire album.

---

The fusion of classical instruments and electronic effects creates a sense of new and old coming together together, symbolizing the basis of Minnmatar roleplaying. There are many layers here, but unlike most amateur works each layer is easy to focus on and is stark in its contribution to the piece. There are several uses of choir-like vocal melodies, but the last track is the only one with actual lyrics.

As word slowly spreads about this album, I hope it gets more play on the three main EVE radio stations. This is exactly the kind of musical quality that the EVE jukebox calls for. I'd recommend the buy, and if you like what you hear, email the EVE radio stations and tell them you want this to get more attention. If this is the genesis to an EVE original music movement, than it's one hell of a good start, and it should be supported.

This album is dedicated to Taniqua (Roc's beloved dog IRL) who was born January 13, 1998 and was taken from us far too early on April 24, 2008.

o7

Prano's Journey #5: Naked.

2009-02-13T09:29:00.004-05:00

The air was moist and the breeze hot on the beach. The sun beat down on Gigaer's naked body with an oppressive force. Exhaustion was beginning to set in and he felt his consciousness begin to give way.

All according to plan.

A planet on the outer edges of known space. Gigaer was probably the only sapient creature on the rock. The perfect place to isolate himself from everything he could in order to perform this specific and risky ritual.

He danced a deadly dance upon the blazing sand. Deadly because it involved the expert use of his kandjal. Deadly because this ritual lasted for days and required the participant to push himself beyond the breaking point, inducing a near-death experience.

For days now Gigaer felt something on the outer edges of his ethereal perceptions. Beyond the mist that blocked his view of eternity and protected his sanity, there was something looking back at him. This something was malicious to be sure, but he could not discern anything else. Such a sensation would not have normally prompted such a dangerous measure as the one he undertook now, but things were not so simple.

A message. One sent on an open channel and unencrypted. This was not truly out of the ordinary, until you take into account the sender. Eyes. Eyes was a man who didn't just live in the shadows of secrecy and subterfuge, no, Eyes WAS a shadow. As close to a non-entity as any human could be. The circumstances of the message put Gigaer on alert to be sure, but the content sent him into as close to a panic as he had been in years. It was only one word:

RUN.

Eyes was surely dead, and that death was surely Gigaer's fault. Someone, or something, was hunting Gigaer, and somehow managed to get to Eyes.

Gigaer was not in the middle of nowhere to run. Running had never been an option. Eyes must have known that. The message was meant to warn Gigaer that he was being hunted and that evasion was key. Gigaer chose instead to hunt the hunter, and to that end needed information on his prey. Anyone who could outmaneuver Eyes would not exist to the rest of society, so searching any normal channels of data would be fruitless. Gigaer had to use extraordinary means.

Gigaer had grown much since the day he learned of his true heritage. At a height of 6 feet and 3 inches and a weight of 250 pounds, he was on par with the largest of Brutor. His constant training endowed him with dense muscles and low body fat that pulled his jet black skin taut, showing off every ripple and bulge. Due to his clan's history of inter-tribe relationships, his facial features took on the more expressive features of the Starkmanir. His eyes were a solid green that seemed to exude willpower, and his hair was ashen white (a rare Minmatar trait that he guessed hearkened back to a Krusual relative) which he wore in a large mane of dreads that extended down to the small of his back and were held together with thick crimson rope. Gigaer had undergone the Voluval when he was with the Elders, yet his tattoos covered his entire body, unlike most Minmatar whose markings were found only on the face and shoulder. A Prano's tattoos served a unique purpose, in which they would enhance the connection to the vital universal energies that the clan tapped in to.

Gigaer's body ceased to sweat some time ago and Gigaer had to fight to remain awake and upright. Before he began this ritual, he ingested a Matari plant known for its minor hallucinogenic effects. This would aid him on his quest for answers and help him pierce the veil between him and the universe for an infinitesimal moment. It was dangerous, but Gigaer saw it as the only way to proceed.

Gigaer has lost count of how many times he had gone through the specific series of kandjal forms, which was half dance and half fighting style. The repetition of these specific forms was meant to focus the mind on the task of seeking answers in the void.

Slowly Gigaer's perception pulled inward until the universe was only the whistle of his kandjal blade and the war drum-like thumping of his heart.

Slash.

Thump.

Swing.

Thump.

Stab.

Thump.

Spin.

Thump.

The sounds danced with each other inside his head until they coalesced into a single point of life. Gigaer existed as this speck of will and dashed along the border between nowhere and everywhere. There, for the first time, as he stared into eternity's swirling vortex of past and future, something was looking back at him... something human.

Gigaer opened his eyes. It was night and the stars above him were out. He guessed he had been unconscious for a few hours. Local scavengers had begun to approach, but scurried off and flew away once Gigaer managed to move again. his naked body lay sprawled out facing up. His kandjal was stuck in the sand a few feet away, where it must have flown the moment he lost consciousness and his grip on the weapon.

A few metres away lay a vast ocean. Before Gigaer would trek back to his Claw interceptor, he would take a dip in the cool waters and plan his next step.

My life in EVE - Part 22.

2009-02-12T09:41:00.002-05:00

Energy Management V is a long skill to train...

Funny noobness from the little lady. I'm reading and she's mining, and she calls me over in a slight panic with, "Honey, something's trying to eat my ship!" which makes a big "?" appear over my head. I run over and find that a mining drone graphic is somehow fused to her Burst and was blinking rapidly in and out of existence. Now, anyone who's taken a look at a mining drone will agree that they look slightly organic and more than slightly menacing. Obviously once I figured out what was going on I laughed, told her what was going on and said it would disappear at some point. I think docking did the trick. In any case, it was cute. These little doe eyes looking at me worried she's gonna lose her poor little ship. I tell you I could just eat her up sometimes.

Right now she's working up the cash to buy those higher-level learning skills, which cost about 4.5mill a piece. She's well on her way though. She's getting comfortable with the UI and once her learning skills are in line she'll be joining EVE-Uni.

Quick question: anyone know a really easy way to calculate ore sales vs. refined material yield sales for someone who wants to evade the math? I'd set up a spreadsheet for her but I'm shit with Excel. Help plz!

Not finding a lot of time to log on, which is fine since I'm trying to get some writing done. Now that the tourney is done, I should be able to get really rolling.

Will be giving Roc's Bio my full attention this weekend. It will be a track-by-track impressions/streams-o-thought post on Monday. Usually I wouldn't do that for a CD review (which I used to write very often in my semi-pro writing days), but there's something special about this one. Don't expect me to be all fanboy about it though. I'm hard on Roc because I know he demands excellence from himself, so I'd be doing him a diservice if I just gushed.

Weeknight gaming time has been cut back since I've started going to a gym. Oh, right, that was the big announcement. I got a gym membership and I'll be going 4-5 times a week. The plan is to get in good enough shape to get through Reserves bootcamp this summer, which will put me on the right physical path to becoming a cop. I get an assessment every 8 weeks, and I'll be posting my accomplishments here. Had my first one last night, but I won't tell you how I did because I think my crapness was just a case of not working out in a decade. Things are looking very good so far though.

Gonna try for a fiction piece tomorrow. I want to outline what Gigaer actually looks like. Trying to think of an interesting way of doing it. Will probably write it tonight so I can get a woman's POV (the wife) since I want Gigaer to come off as more than a little attractive.

o7

My Thoughts on Apocrypha.

2009-02-11T08:41:00.002-05:00

First, it's interesting to not the source of the word Apocrypha. CCP obviously is trying to play of the mysterious nature of the wormholes and Sleepers.

My thoughts, item by item. And no, I have not gotten on to Sisi to try some of this stuff out. I barely have time to play on TQ.

T3: Hell, I'm still trying to get skills for T2! Seriously though, I'm really happy with everything I've read and seen on this so far. A system providing more customization is always a welcome improvement in any MMO, and EVE has been lacking it on a visual level. Players like to fly bling, but customizable bling is exponentially better the more you can trick it out. It'll be quite some time before I can actually get one of these things for myself. I'm wondering if someone will come up with a program where you can not just build and fit them (like EFT), but also see what they look like. I also expect them to be super-expensive for some time, so that's another barrier for me at the moment. I like the fact that you can lose specific skill points if destroyed and there are penalties for disassembling the ship.

Wormholes: I'm just beginning to get skills in place for exploration, so I'm glad This came around when it did. I doubt I'll be getting much use out of them unless the U'K or COGNet start scanning these things down as a group. No way I'm doing it solo.

Epic Missions: I'm looking forward to this most of all. I'm primarily a mission-runner and adding a "choose your own adventure" aspect to vast combinations of missions should keep me talking to agents for the foreseeable future.

NPC A.I.: I might be worried about this one most of all. I know this only applies to the Sleepers for now, but eventually it'll be all NPCs, so the discussion is valid since feedback is critical. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that they'll be smarter and the difference between PvE and PvP will slowly fade. My issue is the risk/reward balance. If they make any run-of-the-mill NPC too difficult while not boosting bounties and loot values properly, I predict a dramatic drop in mission-running across New Eden. If not done correctly, Missions will no longer be a viable source of solo income and players will have to look at other options. That said, I have faith in CCP and their ability to do this right. Expect to hear more about this from me in the future.

Skill Training: I've mentioned this before. I'll get some good use out of it, but the wife will really love this, since she's just starting. There have been some people complaining about the 24-hour limit, but to me it honestly makes sense. CCP wants people playing, not setting skills to train for a month and then taking off to play something else. True, it wouldn't be widespread, but to CCP it must be a concern. Maybe down the road they'll extend it, but for now anything is good.

Attribute Reallocation: Wow. Am I ever happy that I trained my charisma up for no apparent reason. Once this comes into effect, I'll just allocate it to Willpower or Perception. Making attributes fluid to a small degree will further help people cut down on skill-training time.

Box: I'm really hoping this works out for CCP. Advertising will be important, and we've heard little in that regard. I've always wondered what EVE would be like if it had the kind of subscription numbers were in the millions, instead of the hundreds of thousands.

UI Improvements: The only one I've heard of or seen was a new fitting window. It's OK, I guess. I'll have to try it out first.

EVElopedia: It's growing... slowly. Watching the World Domination presentation from Fanfest '08, they seemed to give the impression that there was a LOT more on the horizon. IMHO, they need to start pushing it more.

Effects: This will complete the Trinity graphical update, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it in it's full glory. The next alliance tourney will be a very different beast visually. Planet maps are nice, but I'm waiting for actual interaction.

Goodbye Classic: This... scares me. I'm relatively sure my comp can run the Premium Lite client, but I won't know for sure until it is released. If I can't, I'll have no way to access EVE until I can build my new comp, which will not be for a few months. I fully understand why CCP is doing this. I just hope I don't get screwed.

I think that's it. Those are my thoughts, for whatever they're worth.

o7

NYCC '09: Wish I was there...

2009-02-10T08:27:00.002-05:00

I mean, LOOK AT ALL THE COOL STUFF I MISSED!!!
Out of everything, I'm most pleased with info coming out of Marvel concerning War of Kings, X-titles and Dark Reign, which is looking a lot better than Secret Invasion so far.

Super-jazzed to hear that Aspen is bringing back Soulfire soon. I've been waiting for new issues forever.

I'm not sure why I'm not into more DC titles, but the only thing on my radar right now is Green Lantern and the upcoming Darkest Night event. I may try to get into Batman one of these days.

Short post, but all the cool stuff is in the above link anyways.

o7.

6th Alliance Tournament: Recap and Lessons.

2009-02-09T08:37:00.005-05:00

Before I get to the topic at hand, a little history lesson. 26 years ago today, the wonderful couple of Mario and Patrizia Paniccia gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Giancarlo. He was healthy, didn't cry too much, slept a lot and was full of potential. They didn't have a lot of money, but a lot of love, determination and a supportive family with good values. They were the best parents Giancarlo could ever ask for. They both deserve a fraking chest-full of medals for putting up with that brat. So, if you wish to comment, please don't wish me a happy birthday. Instead, praise my parents for their saint-like patience and superhuman resolve. I'll be sure they read it.

Now, on to the Tourney.

Obviously I called the finals wrong, but to be honest it really could have gone either way. Both teams had what it took to win it, but only won could be crowned champ. Pandemic Legion are enemies of the U'K at present, but I'm sure my entire alliance congratulates them on a much-deserved win. As for R.U.R., I'm sure they'll be getting a pretty big boost in recruitment.

I made picks for every round, which you can see in posts I made on the weekend. I think I got about 50/50 between right and wrong calls, which I think is pretty good considering my relative noobness. There were so many great matches, I hope CCP and EON see fit to put out a DVD.

The entire tourney was a huge thrill to watch, and I learned quite a bit. For instance, I learned:

- I can't afford to avoid flying Amarr ships because of my RPing. I'll just have to work it in.
- Fleet Stabbers and Command Ships are better than I thought they were.
- A smart pilot can really make amazing use of sentry drones.
- Drakes are not as good as I thought they were.
- FoF missiles are tricky, but useful.
- The Abaddon looks like a Battlestar. I want.
- Sensor boosting and Marauders are a match made in heaven.
- Stevie is hawt.
- Every ship has a drone bay. Every pilot should make use of it.
- A good FC is worth more than his or her ship's mass in Mercoxit.
- Screaming at the screen will not turn a match in your team's favour.
- A cool head is a pilot's best asset.
- CCP Soundwave says "Um" and "Uh" a lot, but is a great host.
- Hero-tanking needs a guide.
- A ship can be too fast.
- Smartbombs are great for anti-drone warfare, but misuse can kill pilots on your side.
- Tenacity, guile and thinking outside the box go a long way in small-gang warfare.
- The 8th Alliance Tournament is going to be awesome!

Huge kudos go to CCP, EVE TV commentators, all three EVE radio stations, all combatants, viewers/listeners and everyone online at the time EVE hit its new PCU of well over 51000. I'm looking forward to participating in next year's U'K tourney effort.

o7

6th Alliance Tournament Semi Finals

2009-02-08T14:16:00.002-05:00

Grid - Picks.

1st match: Neither team changed their setups from their last matches, and it was interesting to see who would last longer, the Navy Omens or the Nighthawks. The boundary violations in a match like this are crippling. Things were extremely close up until that point. Once that Nighthawk was lost to a violation, it was pretty much over. R.U.R. move on to the finals.

2nd match: That was the most chaotic tourney match I've ever seen, but not nearly as close as everyone thought it would be. I think Evoke's big mistake was to focus on the Claymore first. That initial time could have been better used by going after the Sleipnir which would remove a nice chunk of DPS from Pandemic.

My pick to WIN the 6th Alliance Tournament is ***R.U.R.***

I'll post about the final match tomorrow. Hopefully the Youtube video will be up.

o7

6th Alliance Tournament Quarter Finals.

2009-02-08T13:02:00.004-05:00

Grid.

Calls.

I got myself and the wife logged in to help with a new PCU.

1st match: This was a great showcase for Ruptures and Navy Omens. The Omens using a nos-based strat really worked well and kept those ships charged and in the fight, while crippling the opposition just enough to get the edge. Not much surprising here as R.U.R. wins convincingly.

2nd match: This match is an interesting study in how to use and support Ishkurs properly. I have no idea why the Aries was there. G00DFELLAS did a great job focusing on and taking out those Sleipnirs quickly. It may be a good idea to mix Command Ships instead of bringing 5 of the same class.

3rd match: I can understand bringing the Domis again, but why keep the Vigils? Making the Navy Omens priority targets was the right thing to do, but the Domis did not have the kind of DPS necessary to take out enough ship quickly enough to turn the fight in their favour. No surprise the Fleet Stabbers survived as well as they could. The Vigil laser-tag while the Fleet Stabbers salvage and loot was kinda funny. In the end we got a self-destruct from a Vigil, earning Agony 150mil isk for noob training. Is it me, or does an Abaddon look like a Battlestar...

4th match: OK, I was wrong about Marauders. They can work in this format. The whole thing happened so fast and so odd. There was the bait Curse with the drone tanking, and the shocking loss of both Sleipnirs while the Vulture buffs everyone's shields even further. Of all the quarter final matches I want to see on YouTube, I want to see this one first. Inspired work by Pandemic Legion.

Picks for the Semi Finals:

- R.U.R. over G00DFELLAS
- Pandemic Legion over Evoke

o7

6th Alliance Tournament Finals (16)

2009-02-08T09:38:00.004-05:00

Grid here. My picks here.

1st match: This came down to pure DPS, and R.U.R. brought more. They managed to get the U'K's Fleet Stabbers webbed quickly and took them out. No problems with U'K's FCing or setup, but it may have been smart to rely more on the Stabbers' drones and make full use of the ships' agility to stay alive while the drones did the work. I think our FC expected smartbombs from R.U.R., but I didn't see any. I'm really sad Ushra'Khan is out, but going out to a team like R.U.R. is nothing to be disappointed about.

2nd match: I like Command Ships, and I really like the Sleipnir, but I don't think bringing any more than 3 is a waste of points, and I'm stunned at how fast they were folding under fire. I think if their theory was to compound gang bonuses, than a Claymore or a Vulture would have been a better choice. To me, FI's team smacks of not being thought through. We saw a proper use of Drakes this time, which is to compliment a gang, not to be the backbone of one. Good move setting them up with EW.

3rd match: Those Ishkurs went out really quickly, and a proper use of anti-drone tactics, and once they were gone the Nighthawks were a lost cause. That Firetail was far more critical than anyone could have expected. AND THEN THE HERO WAS BORN! Superb piloting from that Nighthawk, pulling it out and winning it for the G00DFELLAS by 0m smartbombing an Abaddon and precision-missiling that Firetail. If I had isk to spare I'd send some to him.

AGAIN, SOMEONE PLEASE WRITE A GUIDE FOR HERO-TANKING!!!

4th match: Again, a little EW goes a long way against Marauders. Those Fleet Stabbers trumped those Ishkurs easily. Solid showing from The Five.

5th match: I didn't think 5 Domis would be a smart gang, but the fact is they're super solid and very versatile. One thing I can't understand is why that one Domi started smartbombing their own sentries. Good win for Agony Empire.

6th match: Going in, I was really hoping Star Fraction would win for the RPers, but this one really came down to pilot skill, and Evoke just brought more punch. Those Caracals could have done the job if They'd switch out the Domi for something some supportive a Command Ship. Evoke moves on with good use of Fleet Stabbers.

7th match: My jaw dropped when I saw that net of cap transfer beams between those Rokhs, but unfortunately there was not nearly enough DPS coming from AAA to do anything. Things went a little more wrong when one of your players crashes. It was just a matter of time.

8th match: I think the 5 Ishtars were a mistake, especially against Fleet Stabbers. I knew how this was going to go as soon as I saw what everyone brought.

A lot of good calls yesterday, and so far the complete opposite.

My calls for the quarter-finals:

- R.U.R. over Unaffiliated
- G00DFELLAS over The Five
- Agony Empire over Evoke
- Pandemic Legion over Cult of War

o7

6th Alliance Tournament Finals: Saturday

2009-02-07T11:13:00.002-05:00

Breakfast with the wife and awesome pew-pew. I love the weekend.

Again, my calls are here. The match grid is here.

1st match: I'm not surprised R.U.R. pulled it out. They had another awesome setup. No surprise.

2nd match: WE COME FOR OUR PEOPLE!!!

3rd match: I have a feeling Marauders are going to go the way of the Destroyer, once the difference between PvE and PvP begin to fade away. Good win for Unaffiliated.

4th match: Close match, and the first of what will be many wrong calls by me. Good win by Firmus Ixion and a good try by The Church.

5th match: Hump-my-monitor goodness! I'm so glad the Privateers didn't make it through. From what I could tell it came down to poor FCing, since the DT's Abaddons were not called targets at all, when taking them out early would have killed DT's DPS potential. Oddest Rokh setup ever. Roc would be happy to see a Firetail, though I'm not sure what it was doing other than flying around really really fast.

6th match: Ishtar Jesus fails again. I'm still not sure why we've seen people rely so much on this ship but it's not really working very well. Bad choices with drone use as well lead to a clean victory for G00DFELLAS.

7th match: I think the critical points here were the DPS of the Paladins and the overly spread-out damage from G4L. Cry Havoc are the popular favorites to take the whole tourney, and they showed why in this match. If the Paladins had gone down faster, G4L might have taken it. CH very wisely mixed crystals to expand their effective range while not losing too much DPS, which to me flies in the face of people who think any setups that mix ranges or active and passive are fail. By biggest regret here was the lack of double-entendres from the commentators, which were so fun last time G4L fought.

8th match: Wow. The Five's win here was extremely convincing. I'm not entirely sure why V3 lost so badly, but I'm guessing it's a combo of a lack of proper FCing and strong EW from The Five. If I were the V3 FC, I would have picked off the Caracals first thing, them being slightly fragile. The Rattlesnake was a little bit of a surprise, but it's funny that it started looting near the end of the match.

9th match: I'm really impressed how well the Fleet Stabbers and Vagabonds are doing in this tournament. Once the smaller ships were gone, the Apocs had no chance against foes with the kind of speed Fleet Stabbers can put out. Great show by HUZZAH.

10th match: Huge battleship slugfest. Smart FCing to take out those Griffins right away, since their EW could be a huge problem. Agony's FC deserves kudos for that match.

11th match: Evoke were last year's winners, and they just barely managed to pull through. Normally I'd vote for Fourth District, them being RPers, and they really had a strong showing, it being neck and neck for quite a while. One of the most entertaining matches I've ever seen, especially with that crazy Vigil. Both teams deserve to move on just for pure guts. Great work all around.

12th match: Two great RP alliances, and I'd be happy with either going through. The match started with 15 Fleet Stabbers, and almost every ship on the field was Minmatar. Because the setups were so similar, IMHO it all came down to FC skill. A lesson to learn from EM's loss is to be careful with smartbombs. Remember it's an AOE weapon and damages everything in range, including your friendlies. Kudos to Star Fraction for the win.

Someone PLEASE write a guide to "HERO TANKING"!

13th match: More awesome Fleet Stabbers! Now I want one. I find it odd that a team would choose a Claymore over a Sleipnir. In fact, if it were my call I'd bring 2 Sleipnirs and then fill out the rest with Fleet Stabbers. Regardless, great win for AAA. HUN was completely overwhelmed.

14th match: 15 Navy Caracals? They're OK, I would have chosen something else. That Huginn was more useful than I thought it would be. This is a good kind of grudge match. These teams want nothing more than to kick each others' asses, but there's no malice. It's called good gamesmanship, and there are a lot of EVE players who need to learn about it. Gratz to Cult of War for the win.

15th match: More Fleet Stabbers? SHOCKING! Actually I'm not impressed with either team, though the FC for the Wrong Alliance did the right thing in taking those Ishkurs out before focusing on the Apocs. I think a lot of people disregard Hurricanes, but they've done very well in this tourney. Good win for The Wrong Alliance.

16th match: Ospreys? Really? This smacks of an FC just trying to stand out in ways other than winning. I was relatively sure Pandemic Legion was going to beat them, but I don't think they expecting the setup-o-lulz.

My calls for tomorrow's first matches are:

- Ushra'Khan over R.U.R.
- Unaffiliated over Firmus Ixion
- G00DFELLAS over Dead Terrorists
- Cry Hovoc over The Five
- Agony over HUZZAH
- Star Fraction over Evoke
- Against All Authorities over Cult of War
- Pandemic Legion over The Wrong Alliance

I'll post after every round of matches tomorrow, and Monday I'll go over best moments and lessons learned.

Hope you enjoyed today's matches. EPIC thanks to all combatants, everyone at CCP, the EVE TV team, commentators and everyone at the 3 EVE radio stations.

o7

A Proposition: The Anti-Goon Coalition.

2009-02-06T09:35:00.004-05:00

I felt I should follow-up on and expand on my idea from yesterday's post, considering the feedback I got on it.

First, the latest news on BoB.

The worry to me right now is the assets the Goons now have could create a critical mass effect, allowing them to eventually take full control, or at least effective domination of nullsec. This worry is compounded by the fact that Goons have never hidden that they'll gladly ruin the experience of players who are not goons by any means necessary. Their actions are often (if not always) dishonourable, even by New Eden standards.

Now, you may be asking yourself, "Hey, I don't care about nullsec. I'm a pirate or an indy or in FW or in low-sec. It has nothing to do with me". You'd be wrong. If this were to come to pass, Goon control of the markets through O.0 resources would be a problem affecting everyone as far in as 1.0 systems. The implications of an alliance like the Goons with that much control would be problematic for all.

There is a chance that they'll get penisy and expand too quickly, over-stressing their ability to hold space, and in the end turn up with less assets than they started with pre-BoB implosion. That would be the best scenario for all.

Perhaps I should qualify my use of "implosion". IMHO, it's BoB's fault that the Goons accomplished what they did. Others have commented on the horrible state of inter-BoB politics, so I won't rehash that. It'll be perfectly apparent once their forums are published. That said, NO alliance deserves this fate. I wouldn't even wish it on the CVA or the Privateers, whom I hate deeply.

BoB may rebuild, but the ifs and whens are still too many for anyone to count on them to hold the balance they created with the Goon threat. We may have to think a little... radical.

A coalition would not operate the same way as an alliance. An alliance in EVE is a registered entity, one that can be just as vulnerable as it can be effective against a foe such as this. A coalition would be a banding-together of alliances and corps through diplomatic and economic channels in common interest. Remaining separate entities with their own autonomous command structures and operations, they would commit to unified anti-goon operations and policies.

If nullsec becomes an us vs. them situation, then we best be sure that we are ready to show a united front.

If such a conflict were to go hot, it would make any previous event in EVE history look like a pissing match between grade-schoolers. The heroes of this event would not be warriors, but the peace-makers and the diplomats. In human history, people like that in dark times are considered as true heroes and patriots and visionaries. Their names echo through the ages along with songs and poems of their epic deeds, burning souls and mettle hearts.

Let me know what you think. Am I being too dramatic about all this? Is such a coalition possible? Would such a coalition even work if the Goons accomplish what I fear they may?

Other than that...

Planning on posting several times on the weekend in an effort to keep up with the Alliance tourney finals. I'll also be on Twitter and in-game channels commenting. At night hopefully I'll find the strength to write some of that ENN fiction still in limbo.

Next week, A review of Roc's Bio, a big step forward IRL, my first serious use of drones, and hopefully some fiction.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 21.

2009-02-05T08:48:00.003-05:00

Small correction. I'm not yet a year old in EVE. I was looking at the wrong readout. Will be a year old March 10th. Wait... when does the next expansion come out?

I haven't been logging on too much lately. RL, coupled with some writing that I plan to post on ENN, and add on to that my crazed fascination with the alliance tourney... it doesn't leave much time for pew-pew. I have been mining a bit for the lady though between matches.

Of course, I've been keeping up with my skill training. 14 days for Energy Management... ugh.

Got around to buying some drones for my Maelstrom last night. I'll need them for whatever my 1200mm arties can't hit. I may also buy some mediums, but I need to check with EFT. I was considering ECM drones as well, and I uncovered some contradictory opinions. Some people seem to think ECM drones won't work against NPCs. This is not true. The fact that most missioners don't use ECM drones is due to them rarely being of any use in that format. 1 vs.20 isn't something you'll often come up against and decide to slug it out on in PvP, but it's common in missions. There's just too many targets to make ECM drones worthwhile.

I'm really happy with the announced skill queue system. The 24h time-frame keeps things from getting too AFK while allowing players the ability to log in just to change skills as often. If you think about it, it saves CCP a little server power. I'm not going to get such a huge boost out of this, but the wife, who's just getting started, is going to LOVE it.

Got my copy of EON #14, and on the same day my copy of Roc's Bio came in. I need to get the tracks ripped to my MP3 player, as I've already got it on my 360. I'm going to give it a few good listens and offer a review next week.

CK's article in EON about Fanfest is a masterwork. I read it twice in one night and am now so jazzed about going I'm trying to convince the wife we should go there in 2010 instead of Boston for PAX. Let's just say that for now, she's skeptical, but receptive. EVE needs to work its hooks into her more before she'll go along with this. I'd go this year, but I'm pretty sure I won't have the cash for it, or anything else.

Last night, as I was buying those drones, BoB Alliance disbanded. I stayed up way too late trying to keep track of the situation. I won't rehash everything you can read from the link and in the forums, but I will offer my opinions.

Firstly, I hate Goons almost as much as I hate metagaming, so I'm not happy about what happened. That said, if it was not a bug or haxploit, CCP should not get involved. Director-level espionage of this magnitude, though almost unheard of, is within the rules of the game. There are rumours of a lot of BoB in-fighting and stress fractures that may have allowed something like this to happen.

Time will tell. I'm very interested to see what comes to light when the Goons publish the BoB forum records.

From what I heard, the Goons made off with a little over a trillion in pure isk, and a few more trillion in ships, modules and BPOs. Almost immediately after this hit I heard about at least 3 huge fleets going into Delve trying to grab what they could. It's probably going to be chaos in that region for a while, and I'd advise anyone not looking to run up against multiple gate camps and roaming gangs to avoid it.

What I found particularly interesting is that many of the ex-BoBs on the forums didn't seem to be too pissed about all this. Many BoBs automatically had their tickers changed to Goon, and there was far less emoragequit so far than you'd expect (yeah, look at the wonderful kinds of words you can learn on the EVE-O forums).

My main concern at the moment is how this effects the U'K. We're already having issues with Goons trying to take AAA's space, and I know that BoB was somewhere in the background of the conflict on AAA's side. Without BoB, AAA may not be able to handle things and be forced to leave, which would put us in a bad situation. I have confidence in UNITY brass to figure this out and handle it, but being put in such a situation is still not something I relish.

If anyone's looking at SOV maps and seeing posts that say "Goons win!", and if the bile is beginning to rise, then I think it's time we do something about it. Not so much an official alliance, but a vast coalition against all things Goon between as many corps and alliances as possible. Whether we like it or not, things may quickly become us vs. them.

o7

6th Alliance Tournament: finals (32) picks.

2009-02-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

Hello! Welcome to my 100th post. I'm happy that it coincides with such a momentous event in EVE history. I'm also 1 year + 8 days old in EVE, but that's a topic for another post.

The match tree for the finals can be found HERE.

I'll be posting a special weekend report Saturday night, and maybe more during the Sunday matches at the beginning of the 16, crazy 8s, quarters, semis and final round.. I'll also be on Twitter live-twitting it up @PsycheDiver.

Obviously we're dealing with a lot of tight matches. Equally obvious is the fact that anyone's ability to "call" these matches is 99% guessing. There's just not enough information to educate oneself on the ability and readiness of these teams. They've all been training for months with setups and tactics that we've never seen before. Luck is a definite factor. I'm sure you poker players out there can appreciate that (I'm looking at you Mynx).

My picks ARE coloured by who I want to win, just as much as who I think will win.

So... my picks are (drumroll please):

R.U.R. (Hurra for the underdogs)
Ushra'Khan (My bet to take the whole tourney)
Unaffiliated
The Church
Dead Terrorists (Ahmed FTW)
Blade
Gay4Life (Just too much fun for the commentators)
The Five
Huzzah Federation
Agony Empire
Evoke
Electus Matari (One RP alliance vs. another, hard call but I think EM wants it more)
Against All Authorities (Friends of the U'K)
Otherworld Empire Productions (Cult of War had a better showing so far, but OEP is loved by many)
The Wrong Alliance
Pandemic Legion

Looking forward to comments flaming me and telling me I'm just dead wrong. Seriously, let me know what you think.

Good luck to all the competitors.

o7

/Gigaer puts "Salvager" on capsuleer resume.

2009-02-03T08:41:00.004-05:00

After being told that the time/cost/profit ratios were very beneficial towards mission salvaging, even if you have to drop a bookmark or two and run back for a dedicated ship to do it, I've finally gotten around to buying a Catalyst (my first Gallente ship) and outfitting it as a salvager. 4 tractor beams, 4 small salvagers, an AB and 3 extended cargoholds. The CSF Rake is ready to go!

As I was looking into the mechanics of salvaging among the series of tubes, I ran across a fragment - a ghost really - of info regarding salvaging drones. As some point during the not-too-distant past, there was a skill called "Salvaging Drone Operation". I can't find any record of those drones ever existing, and the skill only existed for a few days before it was removed, but it got me thinking.

Not everyone uses drones, but everyone would like to salvage given the opportunity. Every ship has a drone bay, so why not give another option of how to utilize it? It also frees up high-slots and cap from the demanding tractor/salvager setup. What capsuleer would not want to have the ability to take salvage materials from a ship he just popped?

There are some arguments against it though. Allow me to play devil's advocate.

1) It would allow ships like the Domi to be salvaging monsters.

Domis are already super-popular, so I doubt this will change things much. We have ships not built to mine mining, even when we have ships like barges, exhumers, the Orca or Rorqual, people have still use industrials, Apocs and carriers to mine (I even see some people using destroyers and BCs for it). My CSF Rake could probably salvage almost as efficiently as a Domi could with salvaging drones. Salvaging doesn't need a dedicated ship type, but a dedicated drone would be an interesting and useful option.

2) It's not a job drones should be able to do. What if your drone has more salvage than you can accommodate?

Have you ever heard of a mining drone? Fact is all drones have cargo space, but most don't use it. If your mining drone has more ore than you can take on, it disappears because you're AFK or maybe just careless. Hell, mining lasers do the same thing. Why should a salvaging drone be any different?

3) The tractor/salvager setup is more efficient.

That could very well be the case, but unless we had a salvaging drone in TQ to compare it to, there's no way to be sure. Some people just don't want to have to run back for a different ship every mission. What if you're in a roaming gang or a pirate? low and null are not exactly places to be flying around with a ship with no weapons and no tank, and many don't want to waste one or two high slots on a skip that should be dedicated to combat. There's also the issue with T3 and wormholes where you also have to take into account mass transfer. Even if the drone option is slower, in many situations it could be the only feasible option.

4) If CCP took the skill away, there was probably a reason.

Titans were on the drawing board since '05. The fact that the skill existed at all means someone at CCP had to make it, and I doubt it was something they did on their spare time. My guess is that it was something that was in the works that made it into an expansion or patch by mistake. It's probably still on the drawing board, being balanced. If we insist on it as a group, we'll get it.

5) It would make salvaging too easy.

You still need to pop a ship before you can salvage the wreck. It's not like flying up to a roid and slapping it around with lasers. The spoils are not so great that it would cause a problem. Now, from an RP POV, think about what a drone manufacturer (CreoDron, for example) would want to do to supply capsuleer demand for salvaging equipment.

6) It would cause prices on salvaged materials to crash.

Again, we're not talking about a HUGE amount of materials that are just being left out in space to vanish. Smart missioners are already using a salvaging-specific ship. I really doubt there would be more than a 5% increase in supply on the entire market.

I think I've made my point. Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

o7

6th Alliance Tournament: 2nd qualifier.

2009-02-02T08:58:00.002-05:00

Well, THAT was interesting!

Out of 32 matches, I managed to call 7 on the first day and 10 on the second. 17 out of 32 isn't bad. Most of my choices were who I wanted to continue to the finals, not who I thought would win.

Obviously I'm thrilled that the Ushra'Khan did so well, and I sent a letter of personal thanks to our FC, Seliah. Those of you who read the final chapter of Last Son of Prano may recognize that name. Other pleasant wins came from AAA, Electus Matari and Gay4Life (I'm glad G4L won because the commentary was FULL of gay joke double-entendres that had the wife and I rolling).

The Bastards fought really hard but unfortunately didn't manage to pull out a win. Best wishes to those sexy pirate beasts and I hope to see them in the next tourney, since I plan on being on the U'K team and would love to take it to them RP-style.

In hindsight, I'm glad the FW teams didn't do to well. It's quite obvious that all 4 teams needed better organization. It's a hard but good lesson to learn. Hopefully CCP is looking at their performance and forum comments in order to weed out problems in the FW system.

It's an amazing thing to see an unknown team like R.U.R. dominate a tourney filled with old war dogs. I hope they get a nice healthy spike in members because of this.

The final score tallies are up! The match schedule will probably be up soon as well. When it does pop up I'll make my picks. I'm going to review the YouTube vids of all prior matches and try to make educated guesses, but obviously I'm looking to see the U'K go all the way.

After all is said and done, I'll do a post about the best moments of the tourney and how CCP can make it better.

Big props go to everyone who participated in the tourney, including the stellar coverage from the radio stations. Congrats go to everyone who made it through to the finals.

o7

CK Banter #4: We, the EVE-bloggers.

2009-01-30T08:50:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the forth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by yours truly. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

Manasi asks "How do we, EVE bloggers, adapt to changes as they are thrust upon us (speed changes, no more ghost training, all the dev blogs, etc), or as our lives make playing the game different (more time, less time)?".

As CCP expands and commits more resources to EVE, and as the player-base continues to grow, the flow of newsworthy content will increase. In my humble opinion, it is the responsibility of the EVE blogger to serve the community in several ways.

We, as members of the EVE blogging community, have two charges. The first is the player. More players will come to rely on us to decrypt CCP information. Simply regurgitating dev blogs won't be enough. We'll have to break it down for the noobs and help vets to adapt old strats. People will come to us for educated opinion, not a wall of text they saw on an RSS feed straight from CCP.

The second group that relies on us is CCP itself. They're reading and paying attention. We know they are. When the dredge of the forums becomes too much, they look to us much like they look to the CSM, or how businesses look to focus groups. We have to become an effective conduit between CCP and the community.

How do we serve everyone? we stay informed and communicative. Carebear blogs comment on and promote pirate blogs. RP blogs comment on and promote industry blogs. We write about our experiences and each other's experiences. We right guides about what to do and what not to do. When there's outrage in the community, we serve as a calm and objective voice for everyone involved. We admonish CCP when they screw around, players when they act like a mob, and ourselves when we get too self-serving or righteous.

Must we adapt to do this? Not really. I think we're already doing a good job... but we can always do better.

o7

Participants:

Participants:

6th Alliance Tournament: 2nd qualifier match picks.

2009-01-29T08:13:00.002-05:00

I didn't think I'd do this, but it'll probably be funny if I get a few right. Feel free to tell me I'm dead-wrong, flame me, cheer for your team, etc...

DAY 1.

Dawn of Transcendence
Exquisite Malevolence
Fifth Freedom
Intrepid Crossing
Frater Adhuc Excessum
R.E.P.O
Atrocitas
RUDE Alliance
Ushra'Khan
Manifest Destiny.
The Wrong Alliance
Gallente Factional Warfare Team
G00DFELLAS
Firmus Ixion
Electus Matari
The Bastards.

DAY 2

Minmatar Factional Warfare Team
Chain of Chaos
Celestial Imperative
Systematic-Chaos
Otherworld Empire Productions
Gay4Life
Agony Empire
Molotov Coalition
PROBABLE CAUSE
Evoke
Against ALL Authorities
R.U.R.
Pandemic Legion
The Star Fraction
Unaffiliated
PuPPet MasTers

o7

Prano's Journey #4: The Gift.

2009-01-28T09:19:00.004-05:00

Pator. Homeworld of the Minmatar Republic.

Gigaer stood on a mountain plateau overlooking a vast savanna.

In ancient times many Minmatar warriors crossed this vast plain on foot as part of a spiritual pilgrimage. The mountain at the centre of the plain was a dead volcano, and within the caldera was a small hidden temple where warrior monks resided. These monks never ventured into the outside world, and were constantly in one form of meditation or another. It was here that a warrior proved himself or herself worthy and received their kandjal.

After the week-long trek across the savanna, a climb up the steep sides of the volcano and proving his or her worth to the temple leaders, a month-long regimen of physical and spiritual purification took place, where several rituals meant to cleanse the warrior of evil spirits and poisons occurred. Many of these rituals were by no means safe, and were in actuality meant to test the warriors fortitude as much as cleanse the body and soul.

A warrior did not “receive” a kandjal exactly. The warrior had to learn how they were made and maintained, though certain secrets of their construction remain known only to the monks. The warrior gathered the materials needed to make the blade, extending handle (with all the internal mechanisms) and scabbard. The most important of materials was the metal called Tetralithium. The only place in known space it can be found was from within this volcano. When refined, folded and tempered, it had a mirror finish, was light and very strong.

Most unique, when quick motion was applied, tetralithium vibrated, creating whistling and humming sounds vaguely similar to a wind instrument. Every kandjal had a unique sound, as every imperfection and fold within the metal blade changed how sympathetic vibrations traveled. Those ever-changing sounds became a warrior's signature. The metal had no real commercial value, but was essential to the creation of the kandjal.

The volcano and the surrounding savanna was sacred ground to all Minmatar, and it had been untouched by technology and development as a result.

Gigaer saw himself standing on the border between old and new. It was his duty to revive the old ways for all Minmatar, but to accomplish that, some rules had to be bent. Matari society is now part of a larger galactic community, and as much as he would have liked to just turn back the clock, things were never going to be the same. Minmatar had changed, and Gigaer had to change the old ways to make them at least applicable in this new age.

Gigaer stowed the new kandjal in his pack. It was not his. The markings upon the weapon were not of the Prano clan. Gigaer made the trek and endured the rituals on behalf of someone else, which was forbidden in ancient times. Breaking such an important tradition was a thought Gigaer did not enjoy in the slightest. The monks were extremely displeased at Gigaer's plan, but as the sole carrier of the Prano name, he had right to force compliance in these matters. Gigaer had also convinced them to record a video showing the basic use and maintenance of the kandjal, while in the past such information was traditionally passed though personal instruction only.

“Things change, even things that were never meant to. Things that don't change, die. I won't let this die.” Gigaer said aloud as he set back down the mountain on his long journey back to civilization.

A week later, the kandjal and recording would but sent to its destined owner, Colonel Roc Wieler of the Tribal Liberation Force.

o7

Resident Evil 5 Demo and The Maw

2009-01-27T08:27:00.002-05:00

Double review!

I was never a fan of the Resident Evil series. I've tried all of them and It's never struck me as an innovative or entertaining franchise. True to my "benefit of the doubt" approach to it, I downloaded the RE5 demo for my 360 and gave it an hour of my time.

It's definitely the prettiest RE game thus far, but that has to be expected considering how far other games are pushing the software. Visuals and audio are not surprising, but pleasing.

One of my biggest gripes about RE games is that the controls always seem needlessly stiff. If compared to Dead Space, it was difficult to maneuver and get from point A to B smoothly. Being able to evade is a key aspect of a game like this, and I was constantly fighting the controls in an effort to save my life.

An interesting development is the use of a partner, who can be controlled by another player locally or over the Live service. You can help your partner get to different places and assist each other in ways other that shooting, but that's nothing really new. The computer control of your partner was adequate, but just barely.

Honestly, I don't think I'll be getting this, but if you've liked the RE series thus far, you'll love this installment.

Now to switch gears completely, an XBLA exclusive, The Maw.

First seen at PAX '08 and winning a few awards for originality in an independent title, your character travels with a little purple eating machine called Maw. Maw is part weapon, part companion and part vehicle. He grows as he eats and takes on new powers as he goes. The entire game is very simple and cute, from the controls to the music.

It's a cheap game and worth your time if you're a casual gamer or a hardcore 1337 machine. DLC has already been announced, and even adding the cost of that into it, you get some pretty decent bang for your buck with this title. Get it, and support the indie game community.

o7

6th Alliance Tournament: 1st qualifier.

2009-01-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

I didn't think I'd be able to follow the tourney matches in an audio-only format, but HUGE props to EVE-Radio, Split Infinity Radio and New Eden Radio, they really did a great job. Good tunes, good commentary and blow-by-blows that actually made sense. It's also very cool to be able to watch the fights the next day on YouTube.

I was pretty 50/50 with my predictions, which admittedly were based on very little hard fact.

The first day gave us wins for AAA (friends of the U'K), Dead Terrorists (Ahmed FTW!), Electus Matari (Minmatar FTW!) and others.

The U'K vs. Otherworld Empire Productions worried me right up until the last few seconds. I know who was involved on our team and who came up with those setups, but until everything was said and done I couldn't figure out the reasons. It was really risky and in the end we gave up quite a few points, but we beat some tourney favorites and proves you don't need skillpoints to be be effective in this format. Big congrats to my brothers and sisters in the U'K.!

The Federal Defense Union (Gallente FW team) did a really good job beating Capital Punishment, and the State Protectorate (Caldari FW team) won as well. The Tribal Liberation Force (Minmatar FW team) and 24th Imperial Crusade (Amarr FW team) didn't fair as well. All in all I was a little disappointed that they didn't fly 100% race-specific fleets. One could argue it's was for tactical concerns, but IMHO there's a matter of pride.

As per a great commentary slip-up, Exquisite Malevolence should change their name to Exquevolence.

The best fight of the day was R.U.R. vs. Celestial Imperative.CI fielded an expensive T2 lineup and R.U.R. went all T1 ships. Everyone called an early victory for CI but once the fight began all the commentators were dumb-struck as R.U.R. ripped CI apart swiftly. A great match and one for the books.

On day 2, Obviously I was pulling for the Bastards, who managed a victory, and Star Fraction (being RPers), who's win was not shocking at all. Molotov's loss was a little bit of a surprise, as was Agony's loss to the Beachboys. I'm glad the Goons lost to Ev0ke. I was hoping the Privateers would lose, as it was their gatecamp that cost be my Hyboria, but The Honda Accord really had no chance.

I learned a few things from it all. HACs and Command ships are really cool. Missiles are not useless if you use them right. The bane of drones is a smartbomb, which I thought had no real use. Mostly, you really don't need too many skillpoints to play a part in a fleet like that.

I also got a good overview of high-efficiency use of Caldari and Gallente ships, which were very much on display. Ishtars and Drakes and Kitsunes, oh my! Looking forward to being able to fly them all by the end of the year.

I also learned the true value of a good FC. Not only is it important in a ship-choice/setup/training capacity, but having the ability to analyze a situation instantly, create a solution and effectively command your fleet in order to execute it is a critical skill that during the matches it became painfully obvious that some teams had it and some did not. I wonder if EVE University has classes on Fleet Command...

Still waiting for the 2nd weekend matches to be announced. Apparently there were issues with point recordings. It'll probably be up later today. Next week I'll comment on the 2nd qualifiers and post my predictions for the finals. Amazingly, the finals will have a live video feed!

I got no problem clearing my schedule for the next 2 weekends to catch the rest of the tourney. I did a lot of mining in during the whole thing, so I was being productive as well.

I'm still new to the tourney scene, so calling a winner is difficult, but obviously I'm pulling for the U'K to take it all.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 20.

2009-01-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

Me? Mine? *shrugs*

Since there's very little I can do without certain skills that I'm working on currently, I've got little reason to log in. I could use my JC and join my brothers in nullsec, but that would seriously slow down my much-needed training. If I were on for a weekend, it would be a different story. Instead, I've been doing some writing, some reading (trying to read all the chronicles) and helping the wife get her space mojo.

She worked late last night, and I was looking for something mindless to do between projects, so I decided to log on to her account and mine for her. Dense Veldspar and Scordite gets mined pretty quickly and it's the most profitable in the system (which she doesn't want to leave yet). A little skill management on the side and she seemed pleased when she got home.

She saw a Hulk in action. I think I saw her drool a little.

We'll be at the passport office for quite a while later today, so I'm going to get her to read some guides I found on mining. I'm reading up as well so I can help her out whenever she needs me to. She's been great in training my skills when I'm not home, so keeping up with her industrial needs is the very least I can do.

Reason for getting passports? We're going to the New York Comic-Con! The wife and I weren't supposed to have a vacation this year, but since Barry is driving it's actually affordable for us to go. Barry knows some chefs in town and loves it there, so he's gonna show us around. Kurtis may come as well, as he has family there and could really use a vacation himself. I'll blog and tweet from the NYCC whenever I can find a connection.

I want to get a lot of EVE-related writing done this weekend. I have some good ideas in my head and I need them digital before porn or something pushes them out. Hopefully I'll find time to log in as well.

o7

Prano's Journey #3: Nemesis

2009-01-22T08:27:00.005-05:00

Kariam Zol watched unmoved as a man was tortured a few metres away.

The dungeon under the castle in which they were located was ancient tens of thousands of years ago, and it was a testament to Amarr skill that it still stood.

Kariam was a paladin on special detachment from House Sarum. An order from the empress herself created a small "wetworks" organization called Faith. Made up of a small handful of the best Paladins from all noble houses, they operated under a mandate of seeking out and destroying those individuals who posed unique threats to Amarr. The answered only to the empress herself, and officially did not exist.

Kariam had been hunting this man, who by many accounts did not exist himself, for months. Now this shadow of the same man was strapped to a chair, naked and bleeding from a growing number of wounds. Here was a man well-versed in the arts of subterfuge and intrigue, yet in the end Kariam's devotion and faith had seem him the victor.

Torture as a means of interrogation was something Kariam found fascinating on a purely intellectual level. The balances of pain, hope and coercion was a delicate ballet between the torturer and subject. Too little and to don't get anything, while too much and the information you get will be tainted. Kariam watched as the man was constantly pressured and questioned for several days. Kariam did not sleep during this, and he took intricate mental notes for future reference.

The man was nearly dead, and even though he was trained to resist torture by the Elders, Kariam's aid was just too skilled. Much that the man revealed was already known to Kariam. The Minmatar went by the name "Eyes", and it was doubtful that he had any real identity. He was a capsuleer, but his implants had been disabled before the torture began so that death would be permanent. Eyes worked for the Minmatar Elders (seven horrible apparitions akin to demons in the eyes of the Amarr), but knew little about their actual operations. Kariam wasn't after anything specific, but this man had to know something of use. Unfortunately he would be dead in a few minutes.

Kariam ordered his agent to leave. Coercion would have little effect now. First removing his white gloves and tucking them neatly into his belt, Kariam unshackled his prey and stood him up on a pool of dried blood. Eyes could barely stay level, and death's grasp was slowly closing around his heart. Kariam placed his hands on Eyes' head and squeezed. Eyes began to scream and howl with pain that didn't seem entirely physical. Kariam's gaze drilled into Eyes, seeking his prey's last, dark secret.

After what seemed like eternity, Kariam suddenly let go, and Eyes fell to the ground, instantly devoid of life. The stoic paladin retrieved his gloves from his belt and left the dungeon, ascending the stone stairwell and exiting the hollow remains of the castle. This isle on Mehkios was virtually untouched by development and belonged to the empress herself as a natural retreat locale. The only artificial structure other than the castle was a landing pad. Kariam's shuttle was being checked by his agent, and Kariam would head to one of the system's station to procure a ship, crew supplies and information to start his next hunt.

Only one word escaped Eyes' mind at the moment of death. This word held connections to concepts such as hope and truth within his mind. It was this word that drove paladin Kariam Zol to the stars, and it escaped his lips as his shuttle took off.

"Prano".

Comic Impressions - War of Dark Invasion

2009-01-21T09:08:00.003-05:00

Events.

2008 almost every comic series was constantly woven into one event or another. While it's a boon to continuity and lesser-known characters looking for a little spotlight, it's not so great for readers, since getting the whole story requires a significant investment. I'm betting this boosts trade paperback sales, but if it does it's only at the expense of direct monthly issues.

I didn't pay attention to Secret Invasion. Too complicated. The plan was to see how it looked as a completed story after all was said and done, then consider buying the trades. Turns out the whole thing wasn't exactly mind-blowing, so I'm content to pick up the key points from wikis and aftermath issues. To me, the whole thing felt like a retcon.

Now we have Dark Reign. The premise is a little more interesting to me than Invasion. Everything has been shaken up in a more interesting way than "who is a Skrull and who can you trust?". The most powerful man in the world is a known supervillain and psychotic, Norman Osborn, a.k.a The Green Goblin. the line between heroes and villains is no longer about the superhuman registration law and the 50-state initiative, it's all about Norman and weather you're with him or against him. Some see him at a danger, some see him as just another boss or someone to be bargained with, and some see him as an ally.

At some point Marvel has to get off the event-leading-into-event train and leave the 616 in a good position to breed epics, but they're not saying if Dark Reign is the last or not. For now, I'm reading. Iron Man looks to be taking a good turn in this event, Tony Stark and his allies being the most wanted people in America at this point. Looking forward to Dark Avengers, though I hope that they revamp Hawkeye's costume at some point, since the one he had in Ultimates was awesome. I'm very skeptical about The Initiative, since it's looking like a slow and painful death if the script doesn't pick up.

In the X-books... X-FORCE ROCKS! Other than that, I'm interested in what Emma Frost is doing most of all. She's sort of the Queen of mutantkind, Scott Summers being the king. Scott is acting without her in the best interests of the species, and she's left out. Now, anyone who knows Frost knows that's completely unacceptable to her, so what should she do? Ororo (Storm, Queen of Wakanda, but you knew that, right?) suggested that if she considers herself a queen, she should start acting like one. If her intentions are truly aligned with Scott's, then they will meet along that path at some point. So, she accepts an invitation from Osborn to a secret meeting with all these leaders (mostly villains) and says to Frost if mutants stay out of his way, H.A.M.M.E.R. will stay out of theirs. She accepts, for now.

X-Fernius is a bit of a surprisingly good read. 2 issues in, its an attempt at fixing the most convoluted and confusing story on Marvel history, that of Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina. So far it's doing a good job at progressing the story, and hopefully when all is said and done she'll be a viable character for the future.

Still reading Nova, though the story is lacking the punch it once had. Guardians of the Galaxy is still a great read with perfect pace, writing and art. More people should be reading this one.

I may drop Skarr: Son of the Hulk from my pull list. I tried to give this one the benefit of the doubt, but I'm just not happy with it. It's a good sign to drop a book when you end up not caring where the story is going.

Reading Green Lantern titles. Everything is revving up for the War of Light event, which I can't wait for. I was a little concerned that after the event all these new Lantern corps will disappear, but when the more I read the less I think that's about to happen. I think DC saw how well Marvel reinvigorated their space stories and is trying to do the same with theirs. I hope they succeed.

o7

Need help with EVEmon.

2009-01-20T08:26:00.004-05:00

I said I was going to do a comics post, but this EVEmon this is really pissing me off. I've scoured the forums and can't seem to find an answer.

A lot of people seem to have a problem getting the right API key and forget to log out. That is not my problem.

My problem is that once I input the wife's usercode and API, it reads hers just fine but forgets mine. To get it back to reading mine, I'd have to re-input my own API but then it forgets hers.

What I'm looking for is a way to have two users and APIs being read at the same time.

I even tried seeing if I could run two EVEmon clients at the same time, but it doesn't want to do that either.

I will wire a few million isk to whoever can help me with this.

o7

Not just my life in EVE anymore!

2009-01-19T09:02:00.003-05:00

I am one persistent bastard sometimes.

The plan was I'd wait for her to finish Fable 2 before starting her up in EVE. She was happy with that plan. I had no intention of going along with that plan. I was subtle at times, puppy-eyed at others. I babied her on her day off and she gave in. Seeing an opening, I signed her up for a full year. At this point she knows I have her trapped, so she goes with the flow and starts up her first character.

She'd already done some basic reading on everything but pew-pew, and her worry ebbed and flowed. She started building her character, and the sweet sensation of capsuleer life took hold once she got to the portrait creator. She spent a good 40 minutes on it, and commented at how impressed she was and how much she looked forward to ambulation.

Aura. The tutorial of hell. Whining, "umms" and "meeps" abound. Never fear though, I was right there with her translating and explaining as best I could. In no time she was warping her first rat and mining her first units of veldspar. Once aura was done talking, I continued where she left off. I got her training skills training and logged her off, still explaining stuff. Logging into my account, I found her character and wired her 15mill. Enough for some skillbooks, a Burst and a set of +3 implants.

I continued to explain the basic nuances of EVE while she continued to mine. She mined the whole day. I could tell she enjoyed it.

11.5 hours later, and she was in her Burst mining with two basic mining lasers. He skills can't support anything else at this point. She seems very content to mine veld in her training system for a few months, and I've suggested that she get all her learning skills first thing while she shoots the pretty rocks. I suggested she join EVE University after that.

I told her that EVE can be cripplingly vast in scope unless you break down your goals. Hers are (in order from short-term to long-term):

- Get learning skills up (rank 1s to V, others to IV).
- Join EVE-Uni.
- Build skills to properly utilize Burst.
- Learn research.
- Get ORE (Covetor) and industrial ship (Mammoth).
- Build skills to properly utilize ORE ship.
- Learn how to manufacture.
- Find a good industrial corp.
- Look at Exhumers.

That should take her about a year. Obviously even the best-laid plans change and morph, but it's good to have a plan.

EVE definitely has it's hooks in her. I fully expect to find her mining dense veldspar when I get home. She's intent on proving to me she's worthy of the title "gamer" in all its obsessive glory. Playing EVE, the most hardcore of all videogames is a great start IMHO. She's named herself Howlynn. She used to always call herself Reivyn, but when I told her "Raven" was the 4th most used stripper name, it sort of ruined it for her. Since then she's been playing around with Reivanna. I told her to be 1337 you need to stick to a handle and not change it every three months. She knows, she tries.

The only problem is I can't get EVEMon to accept more than one API. I thought it was built to do that, but I can't seem to figure it out. A little help would be much appreciated.

Obviously I had little time to log in myself, but my drone skills continue to chug away and I took a look at our killboards. I was very worried when I heard about all the heat coming our way, but from what I'm seeing and hearing I think those fears were unfounded. I failed to take into account the huge discrepancy in skill between us and them.

Tomorrow will be a comics post. After reading over $130 worth, I would hope I have something to say. For now I leave you with the Blue Lantern's oath.

In fearful day,
in raging night.
With strong hearts full,
our souls ignite.

When all seems lost in the war of light,
Look to the stars,
FOR HOPE BURNS BRIGHT!!!

o7

I really need a vacation...

2009-01-16T08:22:00.003-05:00

First off, a big thank you to everyone who commented on my story that ENN ran. As always ANY criticism is more appreciated than you may know.

I'll be submitting more and making strides to get published on EON and volunteering for CCP. The reason for this ramping-up of goals is due in part to my RL convos with Roc and CK. Roc told me the reason he teamed with Sam to make Capsuleer was for the sole reason that they wanted it for themselves. Necessity is the mother of invention. This made me ask myself if there was anything I wanted from CCP that I could theoretically make myself. Scientific, sociological, and historical articles came to mind.

Afterwards, CK suggested going to EON and CCP, as any article they publish is canon, vetted and reaches a wide audience. He's had experience with both and thought I had the chops, which was a huge complement, and I owe it to everyone to make good on it. It's a challenge, but one I feel I have the ability to succeed at.

Add on to that my podcast plans, and I think I may end up in the same trap CK finds himself in now. When will I actually play the game? I guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Roc's home sick with a stomach flu thing. Everyone please wish him a speedy recovery. Also, I don't want to name names but I know of quite a few players who are having serious RL issues with employment. If you have the ability, buying an in-game friend a GTC to get them through a tough time is a wonderful gesture. We need to try and support ourselves as a community during these current economic woes. Even well-wishes goes a long way.

It's been a year since I started this security job and I've worked Monday to Friday (and even some weekends) for that entire time. I think it's starting to wear me down. Have you ever decided not to take a vacation for the sole reason that you didn't want a temp fucking everything up and then having to fix it all when you get back?

This weekend is going to involve some house work and some major grocery shopping (wow... I have mustard?), but mostly I want to do some reading (comics, every EVE chronicle, novels) and writing (on-going projects). I may not even touch a video game at all. Also need to get on the EVE-O forums and finish uploading LSoP, and put up my first BattleClinic loadouts. I hope I can get the wife's EVE account running and let her run through the tutorial while I get foods. I intend to wire her 50mill to get started. Too much, not enough or just right?

o7

Fun with CrazyKinux

2009-01-15T09:21:00.005-05:00

Been a pretty good week for me as a New Eden Resident, but even better as an EVE-blogger. First I had beer and wings with Roc Wieler on Monday, and last night I had sushi with CrazyKinux.

He's taller than I thought he'd be...

Yeah CK is in Toronto getting training for his new job, which sounds pretty cool (I have some basic understandings of it through my college career), and he's pretty stoked about it. I managed to get the wife to come with, as she loves sushi and good company as well.

CK was indeed great company. Like my meeting with Roc, I did far too much talking and listening, and far too little eating. It's a habit of mine that my appetite disappears when I'm in a good convo.

We spoke about the future of EVE, blogs, podcasts and fiction. Some arrangements were made and some brainstorming done. All will be revealed in due time. 2009 will be interesting indeed.

We both drooled over the concept of CCP moving out of Iceland and possibly into Canada. Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver all have benefits in place to attract IT and game developers, and Canada is in a good position to weather the current economic crisis. Add to that the rumor that the people who run E3 are looking to have a BIG game show in Canada, perhaps as early as this year.

My piece for ENN isn't up yet. I'm not sure if it's still pending or if it's been rejected. I hope someone would have the decency to tell me if it was rejected, so I'm assuming the former. I'll update here when the situation changes.

CK suggested getting a hand into EON. I may just.

Not sure if I'm going to have time to undock for a few days. I've been letting some other things go (looking into the Canadian Reserves, reading novels and comics, writing projects, etc...) and I should really attend to them. Skills won't suffer.

I may just rejoin the Facebook community...

o7

*UPDATE* MY PIECE IT UP! THIS WAS REALLY HARD TO WRITE AND MOST PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY HATE ME FOR WRITING IT AS IT IS A LITTLE TABOO. IT MADE MY WIFE CRY. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK EITHER WAY!

My life in EVE - Part 19.

2009-01-14T09:04:00.002-05:00

I call it "Asset Consolidation". What it entails is warping around in the CSF Convoy through patches of low-sec to pick up the spoils from shopping sprees. This time it was hundreds of thousands of rounds of large projectile ammo of every kind, and that good Drake BPC I won.

It's funny watching local and seeing pirates be pissed that I repeatedly slipping away from them, thanks to my "Repose" Core Compensation module. They are obviously not of the same calibre of pirate as the Hellcats.

When I mentioned to Roc I had a BPC, he must have heard BPO, because he told me I could sell it for 300-400mill. That dream came to a crashing halt last night as I actually looked into it. After checking with my corp and doing a little research of my own, I sold it to my corp for 5mill. It may have been a small amount, but I have none of the necessary skills to effectively utilize a BPC, and the corp can use it for the war effort.

Scout Drone Op V finished last night and I'm currently juggling some other drone support skills with Large Projectile Turret IV.

My Maelstrom setup seems to have gotten the attention of a few in my corp and alliance, who like how it's performing and wish to see more. I'm gonna post it on the alliance forum and BattleClinic this weekend.

Tonight's plan is to meet up with the famous CrazyKinux, who's in Toronto. We just missed each other Monday night, and I'm not sure if I can get Roc out again on a Wednesday, as he's a very busy guy. It's all being arranged over Twitter, so I hope it works out before he has to head back to Montreal.

EVE News Network's grand reopening is scheduled for today. Right now I'm getting a 403 error, but it should be up sometime today. I'll update this post with a link to my first piece for them when it's up. The first of many.

o7

Prano's Journey #2: The Once and Future Kings.

2009-01-13T08:14:00.002-05:00

My meeting with Colonel Roc Wieler presented several challenges.

First, I had to get into Evati alive. It being a den of pirates was a problem, as I wished to enter and leave the system without incident. I accomplish my ingress via a Republic civilian transport. Pirates didn't normally harass civies as there was little profit to be made, and the wrath of CONCORD would not be far behind.

Keeping my status as a capsuleer hidden was a skill I'd become proficient in. There was plenty of distrust between normal humans and the trans-human pod-pilot community, and avoiding that during initial contact with the down-trodden people I sought to help was important. After docking at the station and going through the same public decontamination procedures that all normal people had to endure, I stepped on to a magtrain and headed to the meeting place the Colonel had chosen.

One could easily tell it was an officer's club that had as some point been commandeered by the local pirates. A spray-painted symbol featuring a cat with over-sized fangs gave me some idea of who called this place home.

I make a living hunting pirates, so walking into a literal den of thieves was not my idea of a wise tactical decision, especially when I was unarmed. I had to assume however, I was the only one without a weapon. This evening could turn from cordial to deadly in the time it took to pull a trigger.

It was not difficult to pick Roc out of the crowd. He sat at a table in the centre of the room, facing the only door. He had a half-consumed beer and a pocket terminal with him, but his attention never wavered from the door. The moment I entered, he deactivated the terminal. I could sense the tension in the room rise slightly, telling me he had friends here ready to shoot me the moment he gave the signal. I tried not to look around too much as to not let on I knew I was being watched. I approached the table and bowed.

“Roc Wieler. It's an honour to meet a warrior of such skill and renown. I'm grateful for this opportunity to speak.” I said, still bowing, but keeping my eyes locked with his. Coming off as too submissive would surely backfire between Brutor. I omitted his rank from my greeting, as I was unsure how some ease-dropping pirate at the next table may respond. The Colonel stared for 10 seconds, sizing me up, then nodded at the chair opposite from him. I sat. A waitress came by and I ordered a beer, same as Roc.

Roc took a chug of his beer before starting. “Just so you know, I've done a little checking up on you. I'm curious what someone who grew up adopted by a Gallente mogul can teach me about being Minmatar.”

I told the Colonel my story, as I've told many before him. I told him about the Prano clan before the Amarr came. I told him about my mother and the hundreds of other slaves who died liberating me from that Amarr Battleship, leaving me with only a message on a datacore as evidence of my family heritage. I told him about my adopted father, who set me on the path to becoming a capsuleer so that I may find my own path in life. I told him about the Elders, who lured me out into the Great Wildlands and trained me in the ancient ways of our people. Finally, I told him about he people I've been helping and my efforts with the Ushra'Khan.

“We're a civilization with a lost history. We're bound together by a vague understanding and the simple notion of that history. We're tied together by our anger for the Amarr, but there will come a point when even that won't be enough. Shakor knows this and so do the Elders, but change on a scale such at this is a difficult thing, especially when many among us are still disenfranchised. Unfortunately, by the time this all becomes apparent, you'll be in the centre of the storm of hearts and minds and souls. I'm here to prepare you for that.”

The Colonel shook his head as an almost inaudible chuckle escaped him. “I'm not the man you think I am. I'm a soldier and a commander, but I'm no leader. Let Shakor do that. Once the fighting is done I just want to be left alone.”

I took another sip of my drink. I was starting to understand the man behind the stories. “You may not have a choice in it. You're a victim of your own success, and even though it was not your intention, others have started to rally to the tales of your exploits.

“By the end of this war you'll be a hero in the eyes of our people. Your frame will be covered in medals and you'll be forced to go to parties and events that you don't want to go to. People will look to become important through proximity and association, but then our collective adrenaline will fade and we will begin to crave meaning in the peace and prosperity we'll have created for ourselves though bloodshed. You're already the warrior, but I can show you how to be the philosopher we will all need you to be.”

Roc's mood was beginning to sour, and I couldn't tell if it was due to impatience with me or an understanding that he was indeed trapped. I extended my senses past our table, trying to discern who in the room posed a threat to me should the Colonel decide I was not to leave breathing. There, behind me, the tall Minmatar red-head. A gun was laying on her lap. I wouldn't be able to avoid her shot at this range. Careful not to turn to view her. I suddenly felt very naked without my kandjal.

“So, what exactly are you offering?” asked Roc. I still couldn't tell what had him on his last nerve, but I'd have to choose my next words carefully.

“A past. Our past, so that you can help create a future for our people, a future you fight for now. I studied the ancient literature the Elders took with them to escape the Amarr, but without that wisdom, we can't grow as a people. We can not see the path before us without understanding where our feet have already fallen. The Prano legacy is that of peacemakers between tribes and advisers to the Elders. I offer myself as a spiritual guide, to be called upon whenever you need answers. I ask that if you find those who seek a deeper understanding of what it means to be Minmatar, send them to me. When the time comes, it will be my duty to arm you with the wisdom all of Matar will seek from you.”

I downed the last of my drink and rose slowly to my feet. “The choice is yours. You have my personal comm information. You'll be able to reach me anywhere and at any time.” I bowed again and turned to leave. Harping on the point would do me no good. Better to let the conversation stir in his mind and let him come to me when he's ready, rather then push him now.

“I may just do that.” Roc said before I reached the door. I turned, surprised at his comment. Roc had already risen from his seat and was now at the bar, being joined by the red-head.

I rented a room for the night, as the next civilian transport didn't leave until the next day. I meditated on my encounter with Colonel Roc Wieler. I could only hope that he would call upon me before it was too late for us all.

My life in EVE - Part 18.

2009-01-12T09:08:00.004-05:00

Not much this weekend in actual play, but that doesn't mean I haven't moved forward.

YoMma has unveiled the next phase of his EVE-Fiction/World Domination project. The EVE-Fiction Blog Pack!

The EVE Fiction Pack

Life in Low Sec - Mynxee

Roc’s Ramblings - Roc Wieler

Sweet Little Bad Girl - Shae Tiann

A Mule in EVE - Manasi

Diving into PsycheDiver’s Psyche - PsycheDiver (ME!)

Diary of a Pod Pilot - Myrhial Arkenath

I May Find Peace Within the Emptiness… - YoMma

Ombeve - Ombey

Other than writing the fiction, my part of my this project also entails the podcast. YoMma contacted me about it before he went public with his plans, and I'm very happy to interweave my podcast project into his overall plan. Since the Pack went live I've been doing some research about software to use and voice talent to tap. I'll keep you apprised.

Sometimes I get a little worried for CCP and their complete immersion projects. The community is just doing this stuff without them and I hope that CCP's product has enough pull to get us to use it. Go to the official EVE site and find the World Domination video from Fanfest '08 to learn about their plans.

Ran some lvl.4 missions late Saturday night with Tito and Zedd. Zedd's an old member of COGnet who's recently returned from an EVE hiatus. If fact, we've gotten a good number of returning players back into the corp and they're surprisingly active. A far cry from the deadness of the last few months. The U'K really doesn't operate on a corp-by-corp basis, but it's nice to have an active corp channel for once.

I've suggested the U'K may operate better if it were consolidated as a single corp. Not a popular sentiment at the moment. I guess there's too much ego on the line.

Anyways, the missions were to further test my turrets and tank, of which I've tweaked a little. Once I'm done the upgrading to higher meta modules I'll post it on BattleClinic and see what people think. I'm happy with the tank so far as I was able to do quite well with a lot of punishment and mediocre skills. My DPS skills are something I'll have to look at soon though. Used the profit to buy enough ammo for the next few months of missioning. Gonna break out the CSF Convoy to pick all of it up Tuesday night.

Tuesday night also marks the point at which I can finally use T2 scout drones. Once I get the other drone support skills up more I'll be buying some and combat-testing different groupings. With a drone bay of only 100m3 my options are a tad limited, but drones are essential to my anti-frigate (and to some extent anti-cruiser) strategy.

Kirith Kodachi celebrated a blogging milestone recently, and to mark the occasion he held a single-number lottery for readers. I chose 42 (according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, is the answer to everything) and won a "Max Run Drake Battlecruiser BPC (With decent ME)". From what I can gather, a BPC is a Blueprint Copy, and I have no idea what a "ME" is. That said, it sounds expensive and I could really use the iskies. I'll first see if anyone in the alliance wants it, and if not I'll go on the open market with it. Thanks to Kirith! I really love his writing fictional starship write-ups.

FINALLY got the wife to agree to play EVE. After she's done with Fable 2 (which really has her attention ATM) we'll be starting up a new account for her and transferring my alt Howlynn to her. She'll be mining/refining/manufacturing, but I've also told her about invention and exploration.

Right now she has no interest in pew-pew (though she finds that term oh-so-cute, along with "iskies" and "yarr"), but that could change in the future. My job right now is to help her climb the learning cliff, send her some cash to start up quickly and find her a good corp/mentor.

Meanwhile we've decided to build a computer together for the first time (fuck Dell), and we're aiming to have a killer machine dual-booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu by the fall.

Tonight I meet Roc in RL for some wings, beer, convo and general good times. If he's cool with it I may even snap a pic with my phone and post it here.

Tomorrow should be the next installment of Prano's Journey (depicting tonight's meet in EVE terms), which I'll do more frequently. I've gotten some good feedback about my writing from a few talents in the EVE blogosphere, and hopefully I'll continue to grow as a fiction writer. My training in the past was journalistic in nature, so it's a departure. Last Son of Prano was a learning experience, and I'll go over what I learned from it on a future post.

Today and tomorrow I'm also writing something that (hopefully) may find its way on to ENN. I'm trying to get a little outside my comfort zone and pull you out of yours with it. I don't think a story like this has been told in EVE yet.

Hoping my copy of EON #14 is at home waiting for me.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 17.

2009-01-09T08:46:00.005-05:00

Damn you EFT, why do you have to give me options?

Energy Grid IV finished last night and now I'm working on Scout Drone Operation so I can fly T2 light drones, but while I was waiting I got reacquainted with the EVE Fitting Tool. Before the skill finished, I'd gone from sure about my module choices to having three options.

The CSF Hozukimaru (Maelstrom) is set like this:

8x 1200MM Artillery Turrets.
2x Large Shield Extenders
2x Shield Hardeners
1x Large Shield Booster
1x Shield Recharger
2x Gyros
1x Damage Control
3x Capacitor Control Circuits

Here's the dilemma. That leaves two low slots open. The plan was to throw in two Power Diagnostic Systems, giving me a very solid tank and a capacitor that EFT says will hold out for 36 minutes. Now I'm asking myself if that's too much. Am I under-utilizing my arties? I want one PDS in there (which gives me 12 minutes of cap time) but what could I use that last low for? Tracking Enchancer? Another Gyro?

I'm seeing a lot of the best-voted Maelstroms on BattleClinic running 3 or more Gyros.

Then I started thinking about switching the recharger for a shield boost amp.

First Option.

Second Option.

I'm really at a loss and actually lost some sleep over this last night. Need help!

o7

My life in EVE - Part 16.

2009-01-08T08:53:00.003-05:00

First an announcement, then some combat, and finally a mystery!

My good friend YoMma has unveiled his master plan for the total domination of all EVE fiction! I trust he will be a benevolent ruler and look forward to being one of his trusted lieutenants. This is going to be big, and my part (other than supplying him with grade A fiction) will be to tie in my podcast to his project. Needless to say we're both very jazzed about all this. It's gonna be an interesting year.

/me cackles wildly.

Anywho! Didn't plan on it, but I ended up undocking the Hozukimaru and making an 11 jump trip to Hakeri to meet up with Tito for a lvl.4 mission. Tito's come back to Empire to make some iskies to supply the war effort.

I undocked my incomplete Maelstrom for several reasons:

- I haven't made a real profit in over a week.
- I needed to test my arties, which I've never used.
- I needed to test my tanking under fire conditions.
- Fun times with the friends and all the pew-pew.

I'm not sure what mission it way, but it dealt with a pleasure and a lot of Mercenary Battleships. Tito brought his Domi and warped in first to draw some aggro. I followed and began learning about arty combat as quickly as possible. Sniping is fun but it's a little difficult when the top speed of your ship is 117m/s. I was firing 8x1400MM meta 0s and hitting with 1500+ damage with 2xgyro IIs backing them up. Would a third be a waste? I need to go back to BattleClinic and try to gleam some answers.

I was getting my sense of ranges when Tito said he had to warp out because his tanking wasn't set up properly. Fighting mercs can be tricky. So suddenly I have 8 Sentinels bearing down on me annd I'm firing back while having my tank tested for the first time. Took Tito a while to get back, but he seemed very impressed by how my shields and cap held out. Mind you I still have yet to install my 2xPower Diagnostic System IIs, so it should improve a little.

The last thing I need to test is my drones. This will be done when I get their skills up and I buy some T2 drones off the market. All-in-all the Hozukimaru held up nicely.

Now, a mystery!

Tito suggested I switch to 1200MM arties for better tracking, but just before I logged off I compared what I was running now (1400MM meta 0 arties) to their 1200MM meta 4 counterparts (Scouts), and their tracking numbers were the same. Go into the market and compare the numbers yourself, but it doesn't seem right. Should I notify CCP about this? I need to figure this out soon. Help!

o7

My life in EVE - Part 15.

2009-01-07T09:48:00.003-05:00

Skill update time!

Corporation Management:
Corporation Management Rank 1

Drones:
Amarr Drone Specialization Rank 1
Caldari Drone Specialization Rank 1
Combat Drone Operation Rank 3
Drone Durability Rank 2
Drone Interfacing Rank 2
Drone Navigation Rank 3
Drone Sharpshooting Rank 3
Drones Rank 5
Gallente Drone Specialization Rank 1
Heavy Drone Operation Rank 1
Minmatar Drone Specialization Rank 1
Scout Drone Operation Rank 3

Electronics:
Cloaking Rank 1
Electronic Warfare Rank 2
Electronics Rank 5
Electronics Upgrades Rank 2
Frequency Modulation Rank 2
Long Range Targeting Rank 3
Propulsion Jamming Rank 3
Sensor Linking Rank 1
Signature Analysis Rank 3
Survey Rank 2
Target Painting Rank 2
Targeting Rank 4
Weapon Disruption Rank 2

Engineering:
EM Shield Compensation Rank 2
Energy Emission Systems Rank 3
Energy Grid Upgrades Rank 3
Energy Management Rank 4
Energy Systems Operation Rank 5
Engineering Rank 5
Explosive Shield Compensation Rank 2
Kinetic Shield Compensation Rank 2
Shield Compensation Rank 4
Shield Emission Systems Rank 2
Shield Management Rank 4
Shield Operation Rank 4
Shield Upgrades Rank 3
Tactical Shield Manipulation Rank 3
Thermic Shield Compensation Rank 2

Gunnery:
Advanced Weapon Upgrades Rank 2
Controlled Bursts Rank 1
Gunnery Rank 5
Large Projectile Turret Rank 3
Medium Artillery Specialization Rank 2
Medium Autocannon Specialization Rank 3
Medium Projectile Turret Rank 5
Motion Prediction Rank 5
Rapid Firing Rank 4
Sharpshooter Rank 4
Small Artillery Specialization Rank 4
Small Autocannon Specialization Rank 4
Small Hybrid Turret Rank 2
Small Projectile Turret Rank 5
Surgical Strike Rank 3
Trajectory Analysis Rank 4
Weapon Upgrades Rank 5

Industry:
Mining Rank 1

Leadership:
Armoured Warfare Rank 1
Information Warfare Rank 1
Leadership Rank 1
Siege Warfare Rank 1
Skirmish Warfare Rank 1

Learning:
Analytical Mind Rank 5
Clarity Rank 4
Eidetic Memory Rank 4
Empathy Rank 5
Focus Rank 4
Instant Recall Rank 5
Iron Will Rank 5
Learning Rank 5
Logic Rank 4
Presence Rank 4
Spatial Awareness Rank 5

Mechanic:
Armour Rigging Rank 2
Drones Rigging Rank 1
EM Armour Compensation Rank 2
Explosive Armour Compensation Rank 3
Hull Upgrades Rank 5
Jury Rigging Rank 3
Kinetic Armour Compensation Rank 3
Launcher Rigging Rank 1
Mechanic Rank 5
Projectile Weapon Rigging Rank 1
Remote Armour Repair Systems Rank 2
Repair Systems Rank 5
Shield Rigging Rank 1
Thermic Armour Compensation Rank 3

Missile Launcher Operation:
Heavy Assault Missiles Rank 2
Heavy Missiles Rank 4
Missile Bombardment Rank 3
Missile Launcher Operation Rank 4
Rapid Launch Rank 3
Rockets Rank 3
Standard Missiles Rank 3
Target Navigation Prediction Rank 3
Warhead Upgrades Rank 4

Navigation:
Acceleration Control Rank 4
Afterburner Rank 4
Evasive Maneuvering Rank 4
Fuel Conservation Rank 4
High Speed Maneuvering Rank 3
Navigation Rank 5
Warp Drive Operation Rank 4

Science:
Astrometrics Rank 2
Biology Rank 2
Cybernetics Rank 4
Infomorph Psychology Rank 2
Science Rank 3
Signal Acquisition Rank 1

Social:
Connections Rank 4
Criminal Connections Rank 1
Diplomacy Rank 2
Fast Talk Rank 2
Negotiation Rank 3
Social Rank 4

Spaceship Command:
Assault Ships Rank 1
Battlecruisers Rank 4
Caldari Frigate Rank 2
Destroyers Rank 1
Gallente Frigate Rank 3
Minmatar Battleship Rank 4
Minmatar Cruiser Rank 4
Minmatar Frigate Rank 4
Minmatar Industial Rank 4
Spaceship Command Rank 5

Trade:
Trade Rank 2

Skillbooks Pending Training:
Interceptors
Astrometric Triangulation
Electronic Attack Ships
Guided Missile Precision
Heavy Missile Specialization
Long Distance Jamming
Covert Ops
Multitasking
Astrometric Pinpointing
Rocket Specialization
Heavy Assault Ships
Heavy Assault Missile Specialization
Standard Missile Specialization

As you can see I still have not gotten around to working on my drones, though now that I've got the CSF Hozukimaru cap-tested it's next on the list. Right now I'm training Energy Grid Upgrades to IV so I can install 2 T2 Power Diagnostic Systems. A combat shakedown should be conducted over the weekend.

It's funny. I'm feeling this nervousness about taking her into combat. I have the same sensation every time I fly a new ship, especially if it's a new class. Is that common?

As for the CSF Haruko, I've got to not only get my armour repper online (grid issue I think. I can't remember and I don't want to clone jump again until the weekend since my nullsec clone does not have any implants) but I also need to get my rocket and tacking skills up a few more notches.

As usual, suggestions are welcome. I'll post another update in a few weeks.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 14.

2009-01-06T08:45:00.003-05:00

Prep is the name of the game right now.

I threw together a tackling Rifter and sent it with my Jump Clone down to Utopia. My corp exec was kind enough to scout the last few jumps for me, and give me a hand with some TeamSpeak and Vent troubleshooting. Prep in this case right now means getting Minmatar Frigate to V and working on my tacking-related skills, which are more than a little lacking. I've named my Rifter the CSF Haruko (FLCL reference). Every ship with a Rifter hull will be named that in sequence.

One thing nobody told me was that there's a 24-hour timer between clone jumps. Is there a skill that can reduce that time?

Empire-side, I made use of the CSF Convoy (Mammoth) to move myself from Abudban to Frarn. Seems like just yesterday I moved from Frarn to Abudban. Frarn has a lv.4 Brutor Tribe Security agent. There's a better one in Amamake but I've been strongly advised to avoid that system for missions. Too many of the Ushra'Khan's enemies roam that area.

The CSF Hōzukimaru (Maelstrom, name means Demon Light) took its maiden voyage and I ran a cap test before redocking. I'm rather pleased with how long my cap held out for an active shield tank, and I have yet to install my Power Diagnostic Systems. It's the first time I've used rigs (3 T1 cap rigs) and I think it was a good investment. Once I've run a few missions and had the opportunity to upgrade the meta of a few modules, I'll post the setup here and maybe on BattleClinic. The only reason I'm not running missions with it yet is I want to get my engineering and drones skills up a little more.

Last night I plugged in a full set of +4 implants into my empire clone. I feel tingly and smrt.

Called Roc last night to set up the meeting (got him during dinner... sorry Roc) and set it for next Monday. Hooking up at my favorite store in the world and from there we'll probably head to the St.Louis at the Atrium on Bay. The food there sucks but the wings are what you may call epically decent, meaning there's a solid set of wings and sauces but nothing special. Beer selection is a little above standard.

I gotta ask him if I can buy his CD off him directly. I'll give him a better deal that CafePress is per unit, I'll buy a few copies and give them to some friends. Hopefully that's cool with him.

The poll closed a few days ago. Big thanx and hugz to everyone who voted. It was a tie between "Stories from New Eden" and "Voices from The Void". I'll count them both as winning and make the final decision along with contributors when we finally get around to making this thing. Gotta think of a new poll. Suggestions?

YoMma contact me yesterday about his "plans". This is going to shake the EVE writing community to its core and ripple through the foreseeable future, so stay tuned.

o7

2008: Year in Review.

2009-01-05T09:25:00.005-05:00

2008: Year in Review.

2008 was definitely a great year for geekdom, and being an uber-geek, I flourished in it.

Firstly, I returned to EVE. I did a lot of research into what I did wrong during my first jaunt and vowed not to rush into stupid decisions. My goals were to find a group to Role-Play with, and to become proficient in PvP. I managed to join the famous Ushra'Khan alliance, and was placed into the corporation COGNet SpaceSystems Ltd. They turned out to be a very supporting group, but the RP was a little lacking, so I decided to write a multi-chapter story and see where that would take me.

I still have an Xbox 360, but my game library grew at a scary pace. I have games that I bought months ago that I haven't had more that 10 minutes with, triple-A titles though they may be. Games like Gears of War 2, Dead Space, Grand Theft Auto 4, Fable 2, Fallout 3 and more. I haven't gotten around to buying a PS3, but it's in the pipe for '09. My comp isn't where in needs to be hardware-wise for the EVE premium client graphics or for the newer PC games, but I'll get around to building a gaming rig at some point. I bought a netbook. Asus EeePC1001. Sweet little machine that navigates the series of tubes with ease.

I started a blog. I wanted a place to write about myself and publish any work I may write. Others have told me that I should have a separate blogs for separate subjects, but that won't be happening. This blog is about me, not EVE. EVE players may read it, but I'm not here to cater to them at my own expense. This isn't journalism. I've done journalism (a 40,000 copy weekly circulation and a national roundtable conference), and that's not my goal here. If you're interested and entertained by my blog, I thank you for your interest.

In comics, Marvel gave us a series of huge events that tied one into another and brought new life to old and new characters alike. DC gave me a reason (finally) to read Green Lantern, and I finally started to read indie comics like Atomic Robo. I met Matt Fraction and actually learned something. We lost Michael Turner to a long battle with bone cancer. We got some good movie adaptations, and some horrible ones.

In anime, things were a little light this year, which is probably a boon to my bank account. Gurren-Lagann showed us that nothing is impossible. Haruhi Susumiya showed if we think nothing odd is happening, we're not looking hard enough. In Japan the industry began a painful change away from cookie-cutter shows and physical formats.

I bought a new TV (LG Scarlet 37") and canceled my cable TV to cut costs. Most shows I'll just buy on DVD, but I'm still going to miss Battlestar Galactica. That said, I canceled the service 3 months ago and they have yet to actually disconnect it. Sweet.

Didn't go to the movie cinema much this year, though Dark Knight is now my all-time favorite Hollywood film. Too bad The Spirit flopped.

Didn't read many novels, though Empyrean Age was pretty good. I plan to start buying novels in bulk from Amazon.

I began listening to a lot more Epic Metal and Nerdcore rap. Alt rock is still pretty prevalent but getting indie stuff is a little tricky. No concerts. Maybe in '09.

I realized the local big convention (FanExpo) is not worth by time anymore, so the decision was made to try getting to PAX, NYCC, SDCC and EVE FanFest in the next few years.

I took a huge chunk out of my debt, and I hope to have a lot more financial freedom in '09 to actually further my career.

Politics and economies were... fucked almost everywhere in the world. Good thing Obama is in though...

Cheers to '09, and to you, good reader.

o7

2008...

2009-01-02T08:29:00.002-05:00

I want to write a year-in-review, but I need time. It's been a pretty messed-up week and I need a chance to remove myself from things before analysis. Expect a review Monday, which I'll write on the weekend. Also included will be my plans, hopes and fears for '09.

I think I've sustained my first Wii injury. I slightly pulled by right tricep. If I ever get a Wii, I need to remember to stretch first. Gods, am I out of shape or what...

o7

Happy '09!

2009-01-01T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last night was Korean BBQ and a few shots of Yeager... good times, though I had to work today.

My resolution? To physically survive to see 2010. Stay tuned to see how that goes.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 13.

2008-12-31T17:44:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was supposed to be my meeting with Roc, but he's come down with bronchitis so we'll reschedule in a week. Went home, logged on and decided to make use of my LP points and upgrade my implants to +4. So off I go to the closest Sebiestor Tribe station...

And I run into a 20-something WT gate camp in Magiko. I never had a chance, and I lost my Hurricane.

I've flown the CSF Hyboria for well over 7 months, and it's served me well. I've upgraded it to a near-full T2 fit, and I've developed a strong connection to her. My corp executor sent me cash to cover all the losses, but the biggest hit is emotional. I really loved that ship, and that feeling isn't something that you can replace easily.

A moment of silence please, for my dearly-departed CSF Hyboria.

...

I'll be playing the EVE hermit for a bit, as many do when faced with the same emotional situation. I'll be sending a JC down to Utopia when the corp says it's a good time, and as far as skills go my first objective is to set up for my Maelstrom in a strong way. I've managed to get a few +4 implants for my new clone, but not a full set yet. Other than that... Xbox360 for a while until my heart mends a bit.

I had a conversation about the walls between the Ushra'Khan and the Tribal Liberation Force. Apparently there's quite a bit of diplomatic effort being made to lure TLF members, which I think is extremely smart. Why don't we just join the TLF ourselves? Foremost is their complete lack of structure, and from there it's a lot of seemingly minor things. We'll need all the forces we can take in, since things in Catch are going to get VERY hairy by this weekend. Apparently the Northern Coalition has a bone to pick with -A-, who were allies about to give us a POS, so we're stuck in the middle.

We did take out a carrier last night though...

o7

Novel Review: EVE - Empyrean Age

2008-12-30T08:50:00.002-05:00

I didn't really get excited about the Empyrean Age expansion initially. I was still very new to the game and was still trying to assimilate. It drew interest only when the video teasers were made public. Now, I'm a big RP fan, and any game calling itself an RPG - online or otherwise - needed to have a solidly-built universe for me to learn about. I knew EVE had that, so the teasers really grabbed me.

The downtime events were gripping to me in a ZOMGWTF sort of way, and the promise of a novel adding detail and layers to these events was an easy sell. I waited only as long as it took to get to Amazon.ca.

After readily devouring the book, I can say that it's not only worthwhile for any EVE fan, but it's actually readable by any science fiction fan. This struck me as the most interesting feature of the work. One would expect many references to aspects of EVE that would require some time in-game or at least on the web, but whatever isn't explained elegantly can be digested as entry-level sci-fi elements. I can hand this off to my wife, mother and friends and not really have to worry about them calling me up with questions.

The book contains many interweaving stories revolving around many major and minor characters. Amarr Empresses with supernatural powers, seemingly-mystical Elders, perverted Chamberlains, honest Presidents and criminal salvagers. This may be seen as overly complex but it's done expertly and never strains one's understanding. The characters come from all 4 races of New Eden. The main story is that of Tibus Heth. Without spoiling too much, Heth's racial fanaticism is used by a shadowy character known only as "The Broker" to promote discord and personal profit. Heth rises from mid-level armour Forge worker to head of the Caldari State. From the moment The Broker takes Heth under his wing, it's clear a collision course with the Gallente Federation is unavoidable.

The book evokes many different emotions. Hate, fear, grief. The gritty darkness of this universe is stark and very much on-display. One-night stands, excessive drug-use, depraved fetishes and nerve-wracking pain. Death is common and even the immortal capsuleers have issues with it.

Many Kudos to Tony Gonzales. It's his first novel and he did a superb job with it. Rarely could I find the strength to put it down for more than a few minutes, going through a hundred pages before I realized I had not blinking in quite a while. I could not read it fast enough, and the feeling of being done was an odd combination of sad and content. That's the sign of a good author who needs to continue upon this path.

Get it.

o7

The sound you hear is that of my computer crashing...

2008-12-29T08:07:00.004-05:00

... and that of my heart breaking.

Sunday morning @ 0912 EST is when Minmatar Battleship IV was to finish. 0844 of that same morning is when most of Southern Ontario experienced a massive blackout. After 5 hours of going bonkers over lost training time and the ruination of my near-perfect training record (only a few hours lost in almost one year of gameplay), I turned on my comp to find that I was apparently missing key config files. It was not a surge, just an improper shutdown due to a loss in power. I was pissed about losing a lot of rare porn and Alicia was in tears over the loss of a vast Wicca database she'd been compiling for months. Worst of all... no EVE, of which I've now missed more than 24 hours of training time.

It's our fault for not backing things up when we had the chance, but hindsight is usually 20/20...

I have a friend coming over tonight to help me give the comp a workover and see if a reformat and/or recovery is even possible. Kurtis is a friend who will drop everything for a good friend. I really cherish people like him. Pray we meet some semblance of success.

You really should be able to manage the basics of your character through the main website. I'm talking about skills and evemail, nothing more. Hopefully the new API functionality will include something like thatt, but I really wish I had some sort of option to affect my skills at this point.

In the meantime, we both have books to read (I'm reading a Steampunk anthology and she's on that Eragon series), plus we have our netbook and 360. I finished the EVE novel Saturday morning. Review tomorrow. In the meantime, I highly suggest you go pick it up.

The poll is coming to a close, and I'll be holding on to the two top choices for private vote for project members when we get this thing off the ground.

Meeting the Colonel tomorrow. Wednesday's post will be the next exciting issue of Prano's Journey, so look forward to that.

o7

The Nyx just crashed into Malkalen station.

2008-12-26T09:53:00.003-05:00

I spent most of my workday reading. At about 3/4 through the 520-page small-print book, I'm very impressed. It's Tony Gonzales' first novel, and I can see that he has a lot of talent, and perhaps a bright future as a novelist. Full review soon, but expect it to be glowing.

A reminder that there's a poll up, so if you haven't voted yet, PLEASE DO!

I know a lot of people couldn't care less about the fictional news of New Eden, but THIS IS BIG!

I'll probably put in a good number of hours into missioning this weekend. Barry wants to borrow Dead Space, so I need to finish that sometime soon.

Asked for a Fedora for Christmas, and actually got one. I think it's the first time I actually got what I asked for.

Got back late last night and didn't have a chance to update my skill list, but I'll have a full overview for you Monday.

I have My brother-in-law coming over tonight for games. He has a Wii but he's very interested in less-casual titles, and yes, I'm going to show him EVE. I'm going to blow his mind. Pray he gets hooked.

Back to the book.

o7

Mind-Bomb! Issue #2

2008-12-25T08:16:00.004-05:00

Happy (INSERT EVERY SEASONAL FESTIVAL NAME HERE) You everyone on the series of tubes today. I'm at work, and my father was kind enough to give me a ride in this morning, since the wife and I slept over at their place.

Up at the soon-to-be brother-in-law's parents' place last night. It was fun, as I pwned everyone @ Wii Sports. Nobody ruined the evening, but my grandfather and Moses' father really gave it their best shot.

... yeah... like they were fish.

This is the first Christmas morning in my entire life I'm not spending with my family. I really feel awful about it, but there was little I could do. So I want everyone reading this to cherish their family and friends as much as possible to make up for me and everyone else who has to work today.

Now, if you're looking for something more technically useful... HERE.

All I got. Newsfeeds are very quiet today. Still, I hope it's useful.

Take care of yourselves and everyone around you.

o7

My life in EVE - Part 12.

2008-12-24T08:55:00.003-05:00

I've got 186mill in my pocket and Minmatar battleship IV finishing Sunday morning. next I'll concentrate on getting Large Projectile up to IV, then drones and engineering. I need to get my Maelstrom ready to roll out.

I'm setting a goal for myself to be running lvl.4 missions in my Maelstrom by January's end. I took the CSF Convoy to my corp's armory in Asghatil (only 5 jumps away? I thought it was further...) and did a little pilfering. Mostly stuff for the Convoy herself and the "still officially unnamed" Maelstrom. I'll probably return most of it eventually. Nothing expensive or rare in any case.

I think the biggest change I'll have to deal with will be the switch from short-range autocannons to long-range artillery. Just never done it before. I'm a little more comfortable with drones, but I'm sure I'll pick up the nuances quickly.

I'm about one-fifth of the way through the novel, and I'm really enjoying it. It's actually 4 stories culminating into a final crescendo, which is awesome or read and difficult to write, so as a writer I appreciate it all the more. The characters have layers and have a gritty realism to them. The ethnicities of the 4 races are really out in the forefront, everyone acting and sounding like they should. I'm glad to see that none of my previous fiction has been in contradiction to what I've read thus far, the book being canon.

Should CCP move out of Iceland? I don't think it's a bad idea, considering the current financial situation in Iceland looks to only get more dire. They have offices in Austin and Shanghai, but it would be a personal dream-come-true if they moved to Canada. They could still call Fanfest the "Party at the top of the world", our ability to weather the global economic crisis is better than any other country's, we have a good IT infrastructure, and the same group that sets up E3 is looking to have a LARGE show in Canada soon.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to play anything over the next few days, but I don't intend on not blogging at all. It may not be gripping, but I'll try and offer something.

o7

Prano's Journey #1: Communique with A Colonel.

2008-12-23T08:16:00.004-05:00

I live three lives.

The first is that of a COGNet Spacesystems Ltd. Capsuleer. COGN is a very small odd-jobs outfit that pays me reasonably well for my services, which is usually on contract from a larger corp. Everything from courier to garrison to pirate-popping. I'm not getting financially rich by any means, but I'm not a greedy man.

The second is a freedom fighter of the Ushra'Khan, of which COGNet is a member. This brings me into direct conflict with slavers among the less secure systems of New Eden. We find and kill them with extreme prejudice. We force them to stop inflicting suffering upon others, either through lethal or financial tactics. We free the slaves they seek to sell.

The third life often starts where the second one ends. You see, when the slaves are freed, they often are left with nowhere to go and ruined personas. The U'K often takes them in as part of our forces, but I try to help them rebuild themselves as true Minmatar. I help them find peace and purpose at a spiritual level through meditation and learning. I help them find enlightenment when things seem all but lost.

In ancient times, the Prano clan was the centre of the Minmatar's spiritual world. We led our people to a place of inner peace and deeper understanding, beyond the confines of their physical selves. The Amarr took all that away from us. I am the last.

Lately I've been trying to expand my efforts in my third life by traveling throughout the galaxy and seeking out disenfranchised souls. The poor, the ill, the broken. I help them as best I can, and some have begun to seek me out. I make no attempt to hide myself.

A few weeks ago, I decided that the Tribal Liberation Force, a militia created through the efforts of the Elders who trained me, needed to hear what I had to teach. I sent out a message to a prominent officer who would be the least likely to accept my words; the reason being that if I could convince him, others would be more receptive.

Last night, during a meditative session with a destitute Vherokior family I received a communique. Colonel Roc Wieler would hear me out.

the conversation was short and terse, as he made no attempt to hide the fact that he held me in a small amount of suspicion. After we set a time and location, I asked him why he was giving me this chance. he ended the conversation quickly without giving me an answer.

I have a week to prepare myself.

o7

CK's Blog Banter #3: Praise and kudos.

2008-12-22T08:19:00.005-05:00

This month's EVE Blog Banter idea comes to us by Roc Wieler of Roc's Ramblings. Roc's asks us to "write a story about a fellow EVE Blogger, or an EVE player whom has inspired you or affected you in some tangible way. After your story, describe why you chose them, and any Holiday wish you have specifically for them".

I've been blogging on-and-off for a few years, and after a turbulent time in my life passed and I found myself with some semblance of stability, I decided to get back to it. Lucky for me I had plenty of stuff to write about, not the least of which was my return to EVE Online. Upon my return to the blogosphere I found MANY talented bloggers who wrote exclusively about EVE, and managed to insert myself into their virtual cult.

Even though there are hundreds of talented EVE bloggers, there are a handful that have made my time among them extra-enjoyable. I'd like to extend to them salutations, thanks and holiday goodwill. The reason I'm mentioning bloggers is because it's these people that made me feel like part of the larger EVE community; a sensation I hold close to my heart.

CrazyKinux could be seen as our leader, and indeed, when I think of what he may look like, I picture a green dude with a huge brain and machiavellian intent. I thank him for his unifying efforts and wish him much success in turning us into his loyal army.

Mynxee, Shae are both Hellcats in title and attitude, and it really shows in their blogs. Pirates have a strong foothold in the blogosphere, but these two really are thee cream of the crop. Best of luck to their future evil endeavors.

Roc Wieler is a mostly in-character blogger, and I'm constantly amazed at how he can be so prolific and still keep the quality of his work so high. He's also part of several EVE-related side-projects that really should garner him more recognition than it does. Best of luck to him and his dealings. I'm looking forward to having a beer with him soon.

There are dozens more who deserve far more readership than they receive. That's why my blogroll is so long. There are pirates and industrialists and factional warriors. I urge you, gentle reader, in this holiday season to go and read and comment and link to your heart's content. Spread the blogging joy.

Happy Holidays!

Participants:

* CrazyKinux's Musing: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
* The Wandering Druid of Tranquility: What will your verse be?…
* A Merry Life and A Short One: EVE Blog Banter #3: What Not To Do
* Mad Rant: My Hero
* The Ralpha Dogs: A Greeting Card
* Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah: The Station
* Roc's Ramblings: Blog Banter #3 - PyjamaSam
* Protosolus: EVE: Blog Banter 3 - A Piratical Legend
* Blogging from inside the Pod: The 'Jita Incident'
* Achernar: Citizen Zhang
* Cosmik R5's EVE Blog: Blog Banter: Tribute to an EVE player - Letrange
* Letrange's EVE Blog: Is it December Banter time already?
* Life in Low Sec: EVE Blog Banter #3: Reverend Book
* Sweet Little Bad Girl: Blog Banter #3
* Votrian's EVE Blog: EVE Blog Banter #3 - my influences
* Zen and the Art of Internet Spaceship Maintenance: Blog Banter #3 Ships that pass in the night
* A Mule in EVE: The reawakening
* Jinarre's New Eden: Blog Banter: Inspiration
* The House Theodoulos: EVE Blog Banter #3
* Flashfresh - The Pirate: EVE Blog Banter #3

o7

8.04!

2008-12-19T09:49:00.002-05:00

I couldn't play EVE Wednesday night because Barry wanted to co-op on Rainbow 6, so last night I logged on and did as many missions as I could to get my Brutor standings up to 8, allowing me to use a Jump Clone. I had to stay up an extra hour but I finally got it done! Another milestone reached.

I won't be headed back to nullsec just yet. I have a plan on where I want my skills and wallet to be before I send a JC down. Not there yet. Soon. The corpmates and alliance trust me, and I'm feeding the war effort through my taxes without costing them a thing.

Bought the Thermodynamics skillbook @4.5m. Not sure if I'll know when is a good time to overheat a rack, but I guess it's just another skill a capsuleer needs to learn by doing.

Navigation V will be done Sunday night, with a few other smaller skills being trained in the meantime. I'll post an updated skill report this time next week. Not sure what I'll train next, but it'll probably be a longer training cycle, since my EVE time will probably be limited until after the new year. Suggestions?

Sunday also brings the next blog banter from CK and his cabal of loyal blogging zealots. I'll have to write it on Saturday and post it Sunday, since I have to work Sunday.

My hardcover copy of the Empyrean Age novel arrived yesterday, a full 10 days ahead of schedule. 520 pages of really small print. I came. Also bought a steampunk anthology called Extraordinary Engines, and a hardcover copy of FreakAngels vol.1.

Snow balls and launchers are back, but I don't plan on using them. Maybe I can sell them when I get home.

Tonight is more missions and some short-term skill training. As many as I can do before I pass out.

o7

The Douchebag Prayer

2008-12-18T08:27:00.001-05:00

Found @ Something About Nano.

Dear Lord

Please bless the douchebag. He knows not what he does. As it is written, please watch out for him and his full sleeve tattoo that probably is written in a foreign language of which he has no linguistic grasp, yet he chooses to continuously tell people that it means something deep and spiritual because it defines who he is. We all know that in no way, shape, or form do the Japanese characters for Strength, Integrity, or Power apply to him but we?ll let him think that.

Oh your Holiness, who watches over us, please take care of our douchiest of douches and their ridiculously waxed eyebrows that make them look like extras in a Richard Greco lookalike contest. Forgive them for they know not what they do. Please redeem them as their false sense of self worth and determination to wear a pop-collared shirt at any expense overwhelms the majority of their thoughts.

Creator of creators, do not let them be judged too critically for the douchebag s love their Puka Shell necklaces, and their oversized Gucci belt buckles that they like to prominently display. Please be kind to them as they march through existence reeking of sleazy cologne and Eau du Date Rape.

Oh gracious God, please look out for the douche as he and his trucker hat lend so much to our wonderful existence. We must thank the Douche for his never-ending need to ask how much bottle service is at bars, regardless of whether or not he is going to be buying a bottle.

Please ensure that their Ed hardy Jacket or Affliction Hoody does not get damaged when they inevitably utter the phrase, ?want to go!?? at the end of their evening. Oh Lord, please if you are kind let all of the douche bag?s frosted hair treatments go over well, so that we may behold hair so spiky that it could make a triceratops vagina jealous.

Dear Divine Creator, if you should so see fit please bless the Douche who is so Tanned, Crayola had to create a new colour called Douche Beige. Look after the douche as he hits on other men?s girlfriends in their weakest/drunkest state, with full acknowledgement that their boyfriends are not around.

Forgive the douche for quoting movies like Scarface, Donnie Brasco, Swingers and Borat to a level that makes one want to seek out and kill Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, / Vince Vaughn, and Sasha Baron Cohen respectively for ever agreeing to those scripts.

Please of heavenly father protect the douche for his heavy desire to inform everyone of his disturbingly deep, even sexual, attraction to terrible eastern European techno music. Please extend this protection to the act of the douche taking 3000 pictures of him and his douchebag girlfriend, hereafter referred to as a Douchegina (pronounced DOOSH-ji-NAH), and telling everybody how hot she is, when its clearly evident that albeit her fake breasts and wanton love of sex is admirable, she intellectually ranks right up there with a sea sponge, and early mammalian life.

Sweet forgiving Lord, please look past the fact that they make sure everyone see how much they tip, or that every once and a while they slip into their tongue of ancestry even if they have never lived there.

Please make sure that their ultra-tight Diesel Shirts NEVER rip, and continuously oh Lord protect the doucehbag?s overly groomed chinstrap beard that makes him look like you are a balding teddy bear, or a high-functioning Down?s syndrome case.

Lord Almighty, take care of the douche especially when he talks about that time he was in South East Asia for two months and how it changed him spiritually, even though we all know all he did was tip Thai Lady boys for seven dollar blowjobs.

Oh Creator extend your protection for the Douche?s action of pulling out their cell phone camera and posing with expensive hyper luxury cars on the side of the street and pretending it?s theirs.

Blessed Lord, please look past the douche bag?s excessive, if not overbearing usage of the word Bro and his need to put gaudy and unnecessary exhaust pipes on his already souped up intro-level sports car.

We ask you this in the name of the Lord

Amen.

Meme goodness.

2008-12-17T09:42:00.005-05:00

Got tagged by Kane and Manasi, which makes me feel a little popular. Good thing too, since my ego really needed a little stroke (insert sexual context here).

Rules:
* Link to the original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
* Share 7 facts about myself in the post - some random, some weird.
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
* Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

7 Facts about Me:

#1) I'm Canadian-Italian. First Canadian-born in my family. I'm probably the most patriotic about this country in my family.

#2) I've done some semi-pro journalism in the past, but considering the market and where the industry is going, I decided to keep my writing recreational until I can sell a book or something.

#3) I'm aiming for a career in law enforcement. I want to be part of the line between right and wrong.

#4) I talk about my wife often, but she's technically my fiance. The reason I say wife is because we've been living together for so long that it's really the same thing to us. Only reason we haven't tied the knot officially is lack of money.

#5) I play a lot of games, read a lot of books/comics/journals/manga/newspapers/magazines/blogs, watch a lot of movies/TV/anime/podcasts and listen to a lot of music/talk radio. This blog is about me, not just one aspect of me.

#6) I'm a Pluralist. I believe there are many things to learn from many religions.

#7) I've sought and received psychiatric help. Waste of time.

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA! Since everyone's been tagged already, I'll give you more facts!

#8) I used to have no sense of humour and no confidence. Then I met Alicia.

#9) I'm a geek. I believe that means something positive and I'm trying to take back the word. When people call me a geek or something along those lines, I thank them for the compliment. The geek shall inherit the Earth.

#10) I love to cook, but I have a horribly small kitchen, so I often do it at my parents' suburb home.

#11) IMHO, professional gaming is a sport. The problems stem from no central leagues, mismanagement of young players and horrible advertisement and event practices.

#12) I can explain ANYTHING (even super robots) with science and make it sounds plausible.

#13) I'm a momma's boy.

#14) All I ever wanted to be is someone's hero.

o7

Last Son of Prano - Chapter 10.

2008-12-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

D-Day minus 1.

Venal
UTZ-7B
Y-4CFK – Planet 1 – Belt 1

“Prano. Is that name supposed to mean something? It's just another slave's name as far as I'm concerned. As for this datacore...” Karo said with a dominative chuckle as he turned his Pilgrim and locked on to Gigaer's Hurricane, “... you'll have to come and get it!”

Gigaer responded in kind by locking on to the Pilgrim and priming his combat systems. The Pilgrim could not match the Hurricane's offensive and defensive potentials, but the Pilgrim was made to cripple its target before pounding it into slag. Gigaer closed the distance between the two craft as quickly as possible so he could bring his 425mm autocannons to bare. Karo grinned. His repair systems had brought his electronic warfare systems back online and to full capacity. He felt like a spider allowing a fly to drift into its web.

The Pilgrim was rocked violently by Gigaer's opening salvos, and just as the Hurricane entered optimum ranges, a flood of exotic energies rushed out of the Pilgrim's emmiters and swallowed the Hurricane in deadly light. System after system malfunctioned and went offline, bringing the Hurricane's violent advance to a complete halt. Targeting systems overloaded and blew out the main relays, leaving him with manual control. Navigation and propulsion struggled futily to keep the ship at speed, but Gigaer was effectively stationary. Trying to reroute systems through each other only delayed the inevitable as his capacitor was being both crippled and sucked dry.

Gigaer's Hurricane was reduced to a floating can as the Pilgrim began its modest assault on the crippled vessel's shields. Normally such an attack would not succeed, but with Gigaer's power systems being put under so much strain, the shields were not recharging, and armour energizing systems were in a similar situation. If Gigaer could route power to his comms, he would have heard Karo cackling madly and proclaiming his Amarrian superiority over his Matari prey. Gigaer's shields began to buckle.

All Gigaer had was life-support, manual control over his turrets, optical sensors and shield emmiters. Gigaer linked his turrets to his sensors and set pointed those at the Pilgrim. Setting that aside for the moment, he routed his shield emmiters directly to his brain through his implants. Dropping into a trance, Gigaer felt the universe through his shields.

He could feel them shudder under the impacts of the Pilgrim's lasers and ripple as wave after wave of exotic energies and frequencies from the Pilgrim's electronic warfare systems distorted them. To Gigaer, it all sounded like two symphonies trying to impose their own sound over each other. Gigaer would have to orchestrate a new song to overcome Karo's overwhelming tune.

In his trance, Gigaer's mind danced among to waves of light and energy, trying to find a way to free himself. His mind raced as he manipulated his shields. It was all such a complex puzzle, and the Pilgrim's sound was becoming more and more deafening. What was left of his shields flickered and flashed as they complied with Gigaer's commands as best they could.

“I am Prano. I am the guiding light of my wayward people. I am the bridge to this world and what lies beyond, to this life and the next. I've come a long way, and I've trained myself hard. Many have sacrificed much so that I may bring my people back from the dark, and I will not let those efforts be in vain. I will not fail my mother, my father, my people and my destiny. Finally, and most certainly, I will not be defeated by the likes of you!”

Waves merged, frequencies coalesced and the sound of resilience boomed from Gigaer's shields, blasting away the dark tones of the Pilgrim and sent them crashing back at Karo. The Pilgrim's electronic warfare systems turned on themselves and began to rip the ship apart. Karo's laughter became seething rage and confusion as his systems began to self-destruct.

“What's happening? What have you done to my ship you mongrel?” Karo screamed over the comms.

“The spirits are punishing you for trying to kill their emissary. You've sinned against forces that make your god's wrath look like the cries of a tantrum-ridden child.” Gigaer responded as he manually aimed and fired his autocannons, still under the mind-expanding effects of the trance. The alpha strike from six massive turrets all hit home, ripping through nearly non-existent shields and thin golden plating, severing the capacitor from its conduits and housing. The Pilgrim lurched and went dark and still.

Gigaer took a few minutes to bring a few key systems online before he moved into range of Karo's ship. Using salvaging manipulators, Gigaer tore into the Pilgrim's hold and extracted the datacore. Gigaer set course towards the gate and warped away, listening to Karo's emergency assistance transmission, which was comprised mainly of raging Amarr curses and incomprehensible screams.

---

D-Day.

Heimatar
Ortner
Rens VII – Moon 17 – Brutor Tribe Bureau

The Hurricane had barely made it into Rens in one piece, having to be towed into dock and told his ship would cost more to repair than it was worth. He left it to the deck crews to strip the ship down for materials and usable components. He'd need a new ship later.

Caldari datacore in hand, Gigaer made his way across the promenade towards a local bar. The Serpent Lounge. His contact was the proprietor there. He'd hand off the datacore and hopefully the contact would have new information for him about what he should do next. Gigaer smiled as he went over his journey thus far. “A tale of four datacores, one from each major empire in the galaxy.” A small laugh escaped him at the thought of being sent after a Jove datacore next.

Gigaer entered the establishment and made his way to the bar. The place was crowded but oddly quiet. Most Minmatar bars were much more lively. He weaved himself passed patrons, who were mostly starring at overhanging vidscreens and talking in hushed tones as newscaster voices spoke loudly and gravely. Gigaer would have liked to know what all the fuss was about but he was far too occupied with finding his contact.

Seliah stood behind the bar, looking up at the screen and preparing a drink. Gigaer stood in front of her and rapped a knuckle on the bar. “It's a fine day for destiny.” he said. That was the first part of a code Gigaer was to use to identify himself to his contact. Seliah was to respond with -

“If you have the stomach for it.” She half-nodded to Gigaer. Seliah was a beautiful Matari woman whose eyes said she's seen far too much and preferred to not speak unless necessary. She was all business. Gigaer produced the datacore, but Seliah only looked at it and smiled grimly. “Good work, Gigaer. But the contents of that datacore no longer matter.”

Gigaer was confused. “Why is that?” he asked as he took back the datacore and placed it in his pack.

Seliah pointed towards the vidscreens, and Gigaer finally looked up to see what all the interest was. The sight of two massive fleets, one Minmatar bearing the insignias of Thukker and Elders, and the other Amarr, flying the flag of Jamyl Sarum, battling furiously over Mekhios, rocked him. Reporters franticly conveyed reports of chaos in all four corners of the galaxy, as well as an attack on CONCORD.

Gigaer would later check the contents of the datacore, and find the Elders plans for the very incursions that were now being executed. “You completed your mission and the plan went forward as expected. You are to be commended.” said Seliah as she handed Gigaer an data disk. Within Gigaer would find a dossier detailing his new life. He'd be a pilot of COGNet Spacesystems Ltd. under his assuming clan name. COGNet was actually a front for an organization known as the Ushra'Khan, an entity that acted outside the law to take down slavers and acted as a sort of dark conscious for the Republic populace, much like the Defiants acted for the Republic establishment.

“Welcome, brother. A new age is beginning.” said Seliah as she moved off to tend to her patrons. Gigaer could only look around to the other Minmatar in the bar. There were many faces that displayed unease and fear. The future was always an uncertain thing to them, but now the uncertainty was taking on the colour of blood.

These are my charges, handed to me by destiny. I must lead them through the dark times ahead and along the path to spiritual enlightenment and harmony. That is my duty and I accept it with all that I am.

Gigaer took a silent oath and walked out of the bar, leaving the newsfeeds and worried souls behind. Every step filled him with more conviction as he made his way to market. He needed a ship, and there was lifetimes of work to be done.

My life in EVE - Part 11.

2008-12-15T09:27:00.002-05:00

Saturday 14 hours straight mission running with a little over 30 minutes break for food, bathroom and retina regeneration. I would have done something similar on Sunday, but I instead went with my family to enjoy my favorite yearly family activity: Cutting down the Christmas tree. I look forward to it all year because it's the simplest kind of fun. Much rough-housing to be had as well... still sore. Watched Dark Knight with the folks. My mom was disturbed but had a few geek-gasms during the Batmobile/Bat-Pod scene. I think it's probably my favorite movie of all time at this point.

Anywho, back to EVE.

I started early Saturday morning with about 62 million, and ended up with about 103 million with about another 6 million in sell orders. I'm told this is not a lot. It is a lot for me though, and I don't really care if others can make money faster mining or inventing or pirating. I make it as fast as I can, and the more I work at it the better I'll be in the long-run. I like earning a higher security status. I like earning LP. I like earning standings.

Speaking of standings, I'm inching closer and closer to the point that I'll be able to use a Jump Clone. I won't be sending the Hyboria to Curse though, and I'm using my (still officially unnamed) Maelstrom for lvl.4 missions, so I need a new ship. I want to leave empire with something I can use in both solo and gang ops effectively. I'm thinking T2. At this point I'm not sure how much isk I can spend on it and obviously much skill training is left to be done, but I'm happy to entertain suggestions.

Weapon Upgrades V finishes tonight. Not sure what I'll be training after it, but off the top of my head I'm thinking either navigation or drones.

Speaking of drones, if I want to use them in lvl.4 missions to take care of ships too small and fast for my arties to hit, should I be using large drones or medium?

Tomorrow is the final chapter of Last Son of Prano. I'm pleased to have finished a story, and I'm happy some have liked it. I'm not entirely happy with it, but if I procrastinated too long with it the whole project would have stalled. A writer needs to write. If you're not writing, you're not a writer. I'm not sure what I'll be writing next, but I do want to keep writing. My only regret is how little feedback I got. I get the feeling people are reading (the view counter on the U'K forum is currently at 664), but I find it hard to believe that they have no opinion about it. if you're reading me on Google Reader and don't feel like loading my page to drop a comment, PLEASE feel free to email me at psychediver@gmail.com!

If you'd like to RP with Gigaer live, find me on EVE-Bloggers in-game channel!

Bought my friend's copy of Burnout Paradise from my friend Ben, who's the worst kind of douche... a friendly and intelligent one. Not much time with it so far, but I can't get the song Paradise City out of my head since Saturday. Speaking of friends, I want to clear something up. My friend Barry is not as lame as I make him out to be. Sure, he's a total noob, but he's trying hard to become a trained noob. He has friends other than me, and he's a very skilled chef who makes a killer wonton soup. I look forward to him teaching me how to be a pro cook as I teach him to pwn. To that end, he grabbed a copy of Vegas 2. He's tried EVE before, and I'm trying to get him back into it. The wife is full engrossed in Fable 2 so I may have some good time in EVE during the week.

o7

My life in Eve - Part 10.

2008-12-12T09:03:00.003-05:00

So everyone's going nuts about this 4-year moon-mining exploit debacle. The way I see it is:

- The exploits been fixed.
- The players responsible have been punished.
- The market will adapt.
- CCP should get more people looking at the industry-side of things.
- Most importantly... HOW CAN I PROFIT FROM THIS???

When I was thinking about upgrading the CTF Hyboria to T2, I went a little nuts buying mods. Now that I'm a little wiser and actually using the EFT, I know I won't be needing all of them.

The effect this event has on the market will have a ripple-like quality. First the materials in question will skyrocket in price, but eventually this rise in costs will effect the modules these materials are commonly used to create.

Now, I know nothing about moon-mining, but from what I understand the materials were used in all T2 mods, including the ones I now own. People will also be buying up the cheap T2 mods before the sellers get a chance to modify the prices, creating medium-term demand.

My plan is to keep a VERY close eye on the market value of these mods, and when the time is right, sell them for a profit. If I wait too long the market will adjust and I'll be left holding the bag (of mods), sell too soon and I won't make the profit I want. Even post sell orders right now would be a bad idea since it may tip off other sellers early.

I could be right, or I could be talking out of my ass. Again, when it comes to anything industry 'm effectively fucking retarded. Either way I already have the mods and I'm in desperate need of ISK (as usual). Worth a shot. I'll learn more when I know how to pew-pew properly.

Also a little EVE-related, I'm a twtter-er-er... *cough* anywho, you can find me @PsycheDiver.

07

Something funny...

2008-12-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

Mind-Bomb! Issue #1

2008-12-10T09:35:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the first installment of Mind-Bomb, a semi-regular collection of news, events and other items I'm reading about. During the course of my day I try to absorb as much news and (educated) opinion as I can. This will be my attempt to share some of what I find interesting with you.

The Thundercats movie is looking to be in good hands. I have high hopes.

Nootropics are going to be a VERY big deal in the coming years, and I think we should have a good set of legal ones we can take alongside our vitamins. What do you think?

It's not the final season yet, but a Battlestar Galactica freak like me can't ignore this fraking awesome content. Maybe a movement should be started to get "frak" used more often in EVE.

As far as indie comics go, I'm really only reading Atomic Robo, which rocks. I should get the guys at One Million Comix to get this in.

Ignatieff should have won this before Dion had a chance to fuck up an already fucked-up party. Let's see where he goes from here. And FYI, suspending parliament to avoid a vote is just as undemocratic as forming a coalition right after an election.

Troy Dixon (T-Bag) from Pure Pwnage died in a car crash last Saturday. I really liked his character and I think it added a lot to the show. I had the good fortune to be in his premiere episode. My heart goes out to his friends, family and fans. R.I.P. Troy.

07

Last Son of Prano - Chapter 9.

2008-12-09T08:50:00.002-05:00

Chapter 9.

D-Day minus 2.

Venal
UTZ-7B
Y-4CFK – 0.5 AUs above star's northern magnetic pole.

The details were quite simple. A Gurista data-thief by the name of Jaynis managed to decrypt some transmissions belonging to the Elders that he came across while scouring the net. He sent a message to an assistant to Shobhena Yoonareyd (Chief of Surveillance at the Ministry of War) named Karo. Jaynis and Karo have had dealings in the past, and Gigaer suspected both were double-agents at some level. Jaynis had somehow managed to convince Karo to meet him at the Gurista Testing Facilities here to make an exchange. One would get information that would make his career, while the other would come into money few Guristas dare dream about.

Gigaer had spent 29 days painstakingly tracking Jaynis' movements, looking for an opportunity to reweave him of his burden. However, Jaynis consumed a large quantity and variety of narcotics on a daily basis and his extreme degrees and variations of psychosis (such as paranoia) served him well, as his security measures were always solid. After all this time stalking, Gigaer was forced to his last option: the day of the deal. He would have to wait until Karo exited the station and moved into another region, then pounce on him and take the information. This added the task of returning soon after and killing Jaynis, due the the possibility he would have made a copy of the data for himself.

Gigaer waited near the magnetic pole of the system's parent star, which obstructed the Guristas' system-wide sensor sweeps from seeing him, but a tight-beam scan directed at the station's port offered him a satisfactory view. The ship he was looking for, a Pilgrim, should pop itself out and head for the gates, beginning its long trek back to Amarr space with all due haste.

Sure enough, after nearly 20 hours of waiting, out came the Pilgrim. Gigaer was about to activate his warp navigation systems to follow when he noticed the Pilgrim was not alone, and was not heading for the gate, but for the one asteroid belt near Y-4CFK I. The companion ship was a Gila, and Gigaer knew it had to be Jaynis. His paranoia must have gotten the better of him again and he decided the station was too crowded a place for such an important deal to be brokered. Better to make the trade where nobody else would be watching. Once they arrived at the belt and settled near a large rock, Gigaer realigned his sensors towards the two craft. At this range, picking up a wide-cast transmission was easy, and Jaynis was probably too tweaked to take that small detail into account.

“Are you finally satisfied? The deal was that I come alone, and I did. All I have to do is wire the funds to any account you want and let you walk away, right? That was the deal we made. All I want is this information you say will make my career. Can we finally make this transfer so I can get out of this God-forsaken place?” spoke the pilot of the Pilgrim. Karo sounded like he was suppressing some frustration, and Gigaer guessed that Jaynis had begun to get on his nerves.

“Only when I'm satisfied you really intend on letting me live. You could have dozens of cloaked ships watching us right now, waiting to kill me once you have what you want.” said the pilot of the Gila, who Gigaer recognized instantly. The nasal, jittery voice of a man constantly about to fly off the handle and into a drug-induced craze. Jaynis didn't cope with stressful situations well, especially when he couldn't just kill the source of his fear.

Gigaer gave his micro warp drive a quick burst then shut everything down that could be easily detected at range. Only his life-support and passive sensors remained active. His Hurricane drifted towards them as Gigaer prepped his systems for a quick restart. Without a cloak, he would drift dark and frictionless towards them, then once he was close enough, reactivate his systems and have them at an instant tactical disadvantage.

“You probably think I'm easy to manipulate, don't you? You think you can just lure me out here so you can kill me and take what's mine?” Jaynis yelled over the comms. His breathing was getting shallower and Gigaer could tell he was about to go into his panic-induced frenzies. Gigaer had witnessed these before during his stalking of the man. Jaynis would pull a weapon and kill everyone around him if his stress-level rose too high, wielding near-superhuman abilities on account of the near-lethal cocktail running through his veins. He'd actually be quite well-off financially, if he didn't have to constantly pay people off when they come looking for compensation for a wrecked establishment or vengeance of some sort. Jaynis' Gila lurched in the direction of the station, attempting to align for warp. At the same time he fired a few random rounds at Karo. Jaynis had not bothered to target the pilgrim, but at this super-close range and zero motion the shots still did moderate damage to Karo's shields. Karo acted quickly and locked down the Gila with a webber and scrambler. The Gila slowed as energy shimmered around its hull as a warp field futilely attempted to form. Jaynis continued to fire but the Pilgrim's shields were too strong for him to punch through.

“You're not going anywhere, Gurista heathen. I won't suffer because you can't control your emotions or your habits. Hand over the data at once or I'll destroy you.” yelled Karo. Jaynis' panic attack was reaching its heights and the only thing coming in over the comms was a lot of unintelligible screaming, moaning and crying. The shimmering around the Gila became more violent as the screaming increased. Gigaer and Karo realized Jaynis was trying to overload his warp drive in a suicidal effort to break free. Gigaer quickly restarted the Hurricane's systems, as Karo would be far too concerned with what was going on in front of him to notice another ship coming in from his flank.

The Gila bucked as its engines were pushed far beyond their limits. Karo dumped extra energy into his restriction systems as his emitters overheated. He continued to yell Amarrian curses as his systems glitches due to feedback, releasing and sending the Gila sprawling into empty space. Seconds later internal explosions tore through Jaynis and his ship, transforming the Gila into a smoldering wreck. Obscenities continued to pour out of the Pilgrim as Karo tried to mitigate the damage done to his own vessel, unaware that the he was still transmitting.

Gigaer was about to remove himself from the scene, satisfied that the data had gone to hell with Jaynis when he noticed a small tractor beam stab into the Gila wreck from the Pilgrim. After a few minutes it pulled out an object the size of a human skull, and Gigaer considered this Amarrian may have odd habits of his own, before he looked closer. A Caldari datacore. No doubt it held the information that brought these three capsuleers together, and now Karo had it. Gigaer could not avoid a confrontation any longer.

Karo was about to head for the station when a voice he didn't recognize came in over his comms, transmitting from a Hurricane bearing down on him at full speed and targeting him with plenty of firepower. “My name is Gigaer, of the clan Prano. You have something that belongs to me.”

My life in Eve - Part 9

2008-12-08T08:32:00.004-05:00

I spent pretty much the entire weekend on EVE, expect for sleep and when I needed to visit a friend, which cost me six hours but I got to fart into his kareoke machine with some cool effects... so that was fun.

I ran as many missions as I could. I probably did around 20, and very few gave me much trouble. By trouble I mean being forced to retreat to a station to rep and charge. My Hurricane has a lot of problems hitting frigates-sized targets when it gets webbed, but that's not surprising. Finally got Weapon Upgrades up to the point where I can now run all 6 T2 425mm autocannons, so I grouped them to give me a better alpha and grouped my two Limos heavy launchers as well. I'm starting to see how my missiles have been effected by the speed changes. Heavy missiles can hit small and fast targets, but the damage is close to halved. Maybe I should use those two high slots for vamps instead to improve my cap situation. All in all I made some good money. Mission running can be profitable if you want it to be.

Balance:
ISK a beginning of weekend – 127mill
ISK a end of weekend - 54mill

Expenditures:
115mill for Maelstrom

Bought the Maelstrom from corp, which saved me about 4mill. It's my first Battleship and I can't even fly it yet with my skills, but I'm in no rush. I'm not about to take it out of dock without the skills to back it up. It'll probably be around a month since I want my drones skills up to par for support. This brings me a big step forward in my plans to return to nullsec. Once I got my Strom comfortably running missions I can send a JC back to CL and be a viable asset to my alliance.

Big thanx to Mallagar for the Maelstrom build and Tito for getting it to Empire for me.

Skill-wise, I took the time to copy them all down so I could share them. I'm currently 8 days away from Weapon Upgrades V, which will finally put me over 10 million points. I know there's a lot of work left to be done but if you think something should take priority of if something critical is missing, let me know.

Corporation Management:
Corporation Management Rank 1

Drones:
Amarr Drone Specialization Rank 1
Caldari Drone Specialization Rank 1
Combat Drone Operation Rank 3
Drone Durability Rank 2
Drone Interfacing Rank 2
Drone Navigation Rank 3
Drone Sharpshooting Rank 2
Drones Rank 5
Gallente Drone Specialization Rank 1
Heavy Drone Operation Rank 1
Minmatar Drone Specialization Rank 1
Scout Drone Operation Rank 3

Electronics:
Cloaking Rank 1
Electronic Warfare Rank 2
Electronics Rank 5
Electronics Upgrades Rank 2
Frequency Modulation Rank 1
Long Range Targeting Rank 3
Propulsion Jamming Rank 3
Sensor Linking Rank 1
Signature Analysis Rank 3
Survey Rank 2
Target Painting Rank 1
Targeting Rank 4
Weapon Disruption Rank 1

Engineering:
EM Shield Compensation Rank 2
Energy Emission Systems Rank 3
Energy Grid Upgrades Rank 2
Energy Management Rank 4
Energy Systems Operation Rank 5
Engineering Rank 5
Explosive Shield Compensation Rank 2
Kinetic Shield Compensation Rank 2
Shield Compensation Rank 4
Shield Emission Systems Rank 2
Shield Management Rank 4
Shield Operation Rank 4
Shield Upgrades Rank 3
Tactical Shield Manipulation Rank 3
Thermic Shield Compensation Rank 2

Gunnery:
Controlled Bursts Rank 1
Gunnery Rank 5
Large Projectile Turret Rank 1
Medium Artillery Specialization Rank 2
Medium Autocannon Specialization Rank 3
Medium Projectile Turret Rank 5
Motion Prediction Rank 5
Rapid Firing Rank 4
Sharpshooter Rank 4
Small Artillery Specialization Rank 4
Small Autocannon Specialization Rank 4
Small Hybrid Turret Rank 2
Small Projectile Turret Rank 5
Surgical Strike Rank 3
Trajectory Analysis Rank 4
Weapon Upgrades Rank 4

Industry:
Mining Rank 1

Leadership:
Armoured Warfare Rank 1
Information Warfare Rank 1
Leadership Rank 1
Siege Warfare Rank 1
Skirmish Warfare Rank 1

Learning:
Analytical Mind Rank 5
Clarity Rank 4
Eidetic Memory Rank 4
Empathy Rank 5
Focus Rank 4
Instant Recall Rank 5
Iron Will Rank 5
Learning Rank 5
Logic Rank 4
Presence Rank 4

Mechanic:
Armour Rigging Rank 2
Drones Rigging Rank 1
EM Armour Compensation Rank 2
Explosive Armour Compensation Rank 2
Hull Upgrades Rank 5
Jury Rigging Rank 3
Kinetic Armour Compensation Rank 3
Launcher Rigging Rank 1
Mechanic Rank 5
Projectile Weapon Rigging Rank 1
Remote Armour Repair Systems Rank 2
Repair Systems Rank 5
Shield Rigging Rank 1
Thermic Armour Compensation Rank 3

Missile Launcher Operation:
Heavy Assault Missiles Rank 2
Heavy Missiles Rank 4
Missile Bombardment Rank 3
Missile Launcher Operation Rank 2
Rapid Launch Rank 3
Rockets Rank 3
Standard Missiles Rank 3
Target Navigation Prediction Rank 3
Warhead Upgrades Rank 4

Navigation:
Acceleration Control Rank 4
Afterburner Rank 4
Evasive Maneuvering Rank 4
Fuel Conservation Rank 4
High Speed Maneuvering Rank 3
Navigation Rank 4
Warp Drive Operation Rank 4

Science:
Astrometrics Rank 1
Biology Rank 2
Cybernetics Rank 2
Infomorph Psychology Rank 2
Science Rank 3
Signal Acquisition Rank 1

Social:
Connections Rank 4
Criminal Connections Rank 1
Diplomacy Rank 2
Fast Talk Rank 2
Negotiation Rank 2
Social Rank 4

Spaceship Command:
Battlecruisers Rank 4
Caldari Frigate Rank 1
Destroyers Rank 1
Gallente Frigate Rank 3
Minmatar Battleship Rank 2
Minmatar Cruiser Rank 4
Minmatar Frigate Rank 4
Spaceship Command Rank 5

Trade:
Trade Rank 2

Skillbooks Pending Training:
Interceptors
Astrometric Triangulation
Electronic Attack Ships
Guided Missile Precision
Heavy Missile Specialization
Long Distance Jamming
Covert Ops
Multitasking
Astrometric Pinpointing
Assault Ships
Rocket Specialization
Heavy Assault Ships
Heavy Assault Missile Specialization
Standard Missile Specialization

I'm going to try and keep this momentum up. I don't want ISK to be an issue when I go back to CL, so prep now makes a big difference later. I'm using all of my sell slots and hopefully I'll find a few sales have been made by the time I get home. I'm pretty happy with mineral orders right now so breaking down modules that aren't selling well is a pretty decent option for me at the moment. Doing so helps create a rarity in certain modules, which drives prices up and makes selling better in the future. Simple supply and demand.

07

Comic Impressions - To infinity and beyond.

2008-12-05T09:04:00.005-05:00

Warning: This post contains extensive use of the word "douche" and its tangents. You may have an adverse reaction to this post if you are, in fact, a douche. If you experience a reaction, stop reading. If problems persist, consult your physician about getting an acid enema, the removal of that embedded stick or implantation of a spine.

NEW POLL SO VOTE!

I like where Guardians of the Galaxy is going. A few "shocks" and "twists" here and there - mostly for cliffhanger effect - but it's mostly a well-written classic space romp with some great characters and a minimum of existentialism. The last story arc ended with the team fragmenting and going off in smaller groups to pursue their own personal quests. It's an easy and fun read with good quality, but mostly it's trying to be what it is and not what it's not, which is a problem a lot of comics fall into.

Nova continues to grow the relationship between Rider and the Overmind, while putting them both into interesting situations. Richard's emotional state and his duty as Nova Prime has come front and centre as the Overmind begins to rebuild the corp without Richard's consent or consultation. Both are right in their actions, but both are wrong at the same time. I'm interested in where this will go in the next few issues. Hopefully at some point I'll be able to write a good comparison between the Nova Corps and the various DC Lantern Corps, though at the moment there's not enough info. One thing I wish they'd done before starting the reformation of the Novas... change those gods-aweful uniforms.

I'm usually a big fan of the X-titles (even though I cut in and out when the writing gets weak), and I'm really loving X-Force right now, but one thing that's never been right with me is the Cyclops character. Simply put, he's a douche. He used to be a bigger douchebag because he was trying to live in the shadow of Professor X, a truly massive douche-nozzle in his own right. Now Xavier is gone to regain all his douchy memories and Scott is stuck with (what he thinks) is sole custodianship of mutantkind. One would think he's stop being such a douchelord with Xavier gone, but he's douche potentials have only gone up. Compared to his, Emma Frost (TEH HOTNESS!) and even some of the bigger villains come off as people you'd rather have a beer with. That being said, I've always liked Magneto, who I know is going to up to some awesome shit when he returns to the fore. Problem is it'll only make Cyclops that much more of a douche.

I haven't been paying much attention to the Secret Invasion event, and that's to say I'm not paying as much attention as I should. I'm not adverse to large events, but when there are so many titles affected I'd rather just wait for the trades to come out and save myself the hassle. It's not a lack of interest. It's a lack of time and money. I'm sure I'll get around to it. From what I've heard though, it's a really complicated event... perhaps too complicated.

WHAT COMICS ARE YOU READING? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A FAN OF COMICS? WHAT DID YOU LIKE/NOT LIKE ABOOUT THEM?

Not sure what the weekend brings. EVE-wise, Mechanic V finishes in a little under 14 hours from now and I'll start another base skill right away. I'll probably be running missions if I have any gaming time. Taking a break from Fable 2 and Fallout 3 while I wait for patches. I've been neglecting EVE for a while and I should really get back. Got the wife to read over chapter 10 and it's met her approval. All I need to do is take a final look at it for flow. Maybe a little Gears 2.

I want to post something about the current political situation here in Canada this weekend as well. May take the first steps towards designing the blog's new look, assuming the wife has time. Ordering a few books from Amazon, including the Empyrean Age hardcover and a few Dune hardcovers. I'll post my list of purchases. I like buying from Amazon in large orders because you save on shipping.

Ja.

Fable 2: My Return to Albion

2008-12-04T09:37:00.002-05:00

I had the first Fable, and like many of my gaming fellows I was disappointed with the experiencce. It was far too short and not nearly as engaging as a half-decent RPG should be. I had no motivation to advance.

Peter Molyneux really talked up the first game, which blew up in his face. When he started doing the same for the sequel I reacted with disdain. Why should I be listening to him now? His answer: a dog.

Fable 2 is much like Fable 1, but a few small differences has made it a little more palatable. The story and characters are more engaging now and to some degree that makes you want to progress. Production values have improved in accordance to the current generation's standards, and the dumbness of the first game's mechanics have gotten a little better balanced, though not any deeper.

The dog acts as an interesting companion and can help you in treasure-hunting, missions and combat, but definitely does not induce the kind of heart-swelling that Peter hoped it would. I find it cute when you run and it scampers to keep up though...

The voice of Zoe Wanamaker as Theresa was pretty good, and the rest was decent, though if you can't stand heavy English accents, you will be put off.

All that said, it's a glitchy release, with slowdowns and malfunctioning events almost common (though a patch is supposedly in its final phases).

The combat is extremely simple and not very intuitive. You have 3 paths to combat, Strength (melee, also controls HP), Skill (ranged, controls speed and evasion), and Will (magic, boring because there are far too many spells that do exactly the same thing). Any decent RPGer could figure out how to min-max a character in 5 minutes of reviewing the numbers and getting into a few fights. There's very little in the way of weaknesses and resistences, and what you wear has no armour effect.

There are things like renown (how popular you are), purity (good or evil) and fatness, but while they're all core elements they don't seem to demand your attention at all. Social aspects are front-and-centre, and you can marry, have sex, build a family, own property and busniesses, which is all fine. What I didn't like is how everyone seemed to be bisexual, even when their profiles said otherwise. Trying to seduce the girl in front of me usually had some random male NPC behind me becoming enamored at the same time. Annoying.

Unlike the first game, the style the game world takes this time is very much like the European pioneer eras, complete with flintlocks being the ranged weapon of choice. My problem was that (IMHO) fashion and items were really ugly back then. I would have either stayed fantasy or gone steampunk.

The game is still brutally short, and you can probably completely wreck this game in under 40 hours, which is pathetic for an RPG.

All-in-all it's not a game I'd recommend unless you're a VERY casual gamer, and taking that into account such a gamer would be better off playing something else. RPG-wise, try the .hack//G.U. series.

Unless Fable 3 makes some serious changes, I won't even give it a look.

Ja.

Impressions - Gears of War: Aspho Fields

2008-12-03T09:09:00.003-05:00

I'm not just a fan of the Gears of War game series, I'm a fan of the fiction behind it. I like the gritty look and sounds and feel of it. It's not pew, it's grind, and a loud, blood-splattery one at that. I knew eventually they'd expand on it in novel form, but my interest really shot through the roof when I read an interview about the then-just-announced author, Karen Traviss. What stood out was an obvious passion for the game universe and thoughts on how hard it must be to field-strip a lancer (cleaning out the chainsaw bayonet must be a bitch).

I got exactly what I wanted and more. What I wanted was gritty realism, frantic brutality and detailing of the world. What was more was the fact that it almost reads like a World War 2 or Vietnam war book. At no point are you allowed to forget that war is hard and if you want to survive it you have to be harder, which is nearly humanly impossible, so either you shed your humanity or suffer the ever escalating and numbing pain of losing everyone and everything you care about.

The book shifts between two time periods. One is set between the first and second game and has to do with the aftermath of the Lightmass Bomb detonation, a supposed lull in Locust activity and the prospect of rebuilding humanity from almost nothing. The other story has to do with Marcus, Dom and Carlos (Dom's older brother) meeting in school, growing up together and becoming Gears. Together they take part in arguably the most important and historic mission of the Pendulum Wars; Operation Leveler at Aspho Point.

The book switches between stories from chapter to chapter, and by learning of one you add depth to the other, and therefore the game. A new character, Bernie Mataki, who's a great addition and really should be in the next game. She was just as hard (maybe harder) as the rest, but she really epitomized the pain and suffering one must endure in war by adding a sort of female reaction. There were some points where she says "sweetheart" when she drops her emotional armour a little, and she almost comes off as a motherly figure when dealing with Carlos and Delta Squad. I loved her sweetheart moments.

I wrote to Karen Traviss about this and my assumption that Bernie was a reflection on her. She corrected me, saying she gets that a lot from male readers because there are not a lot of women writing warfare fiction, but Bernie is not Karen. I'm not sure if that makes me 100% wrong, but in any case I really appreciate the character and what she adds to the story.

There's also the issue of the Stranded. The games are pretty vague about it but the book brings that situation into stark focus. There are some good lessons to be learned from them.

I cried. I won't tell you at what points, but I will tell you I'm not a crier. I have cried before but it's pretty rare. This book may be fiction, but there's a LOT people can learn about what it takes to be a soldier from this book. I actually feel a little shame that I don't have the personal fortitude to serve, which Karen says is unreasonable of me since I'm on the path to becoming a police officer and that's not something many can do.

If I had one negative opinion the book (and I'm struggling to think of one), it is probably the fact that the wide range of weapons in the games was not really utilized. It was mostly about Lancers (and even there we had no chainsaw duels) and sniper rifles. While we did see a rocket launcher and some new vehicles, I wanted a little more. I think the reason was that there was very little combat with the Locust, and even then it was 99% drones, they wouldn't come across the other weapons.

All in all, it's a great book for all the right reasons and more. It's not a video game book, and you need only look at a synopsis of the first game's story for a few minutes to know everything you need to know. I could recommend this book to anyone, and I'm recommending it to you. I originally thought that the book would cover Marcus' Court-Martial and why he was left in the Slab, but after some thought it will probably be in the third game.

A novel is a great holiday gift.

Ja.

Last Son of Prano - Chapter 8.

2008-12-02T09:14:00.002-05:00

Chapter 8.

D-Day minus 31.

He could spend the rest of his life reading, and some part of him admitted he would be content with that.

The room was octangular and very large. It was almost impossible to think that it was in the original plans for this station, as the shape was very irregular compared to the rest of the instillation's design. The floor was white with a vast array of tribal designs, which he learned were there to optimize the occupant's energy flow. The walls were covered in scrolls, each one it its own wooden slot in a vast grid of knowledge that surrounded the space. At the centre of the room was a low round table made of simple wood. There was no chair and the table was so low you had to sit cross-legged on the floor.

Gigaer spent much of his time in this room, absorbing scroll after ancient scroll. Many of his directed lessons were combined with either personal or ship combat. His skill with the kandjal was nearly unmatchable by anyone, and his abilities as a capsuleer were growing rapidly. Admittedly, deducing the finer points of philosophy while trying to keep your shields intact or your head attached was almost impossible at first, but the point was to help Gigaer think along multiple, simultaneous tangents. It was working, but he still enjoyed his time in the library.

There was very rarely anyone else who used the room, and distractions where nowhere to be found. Gigaer had spent entire days in deep study, and sometimes only stopped when someone came to see if he'd eaten or slept in the last 24 hours. Gigaer now wore robes similar to the ones the Elders adorned themselves with, though his were far less dramatic. A white loose-fitting robe and pants held together by a simple cloth belt. He thought it made him look like a cross between a monk and a martial artist. His kandjal displayed traditionally at his side, in a sheath hanging from his belt, decorated with the insignias of his clan, masters and status.

Gigaer's Planeswalker training was nearing completion, to the amazement of his tutors, who insisted that he'd accomplished in less then a year what should have taken five. After learning about the thousands of different spirits and deities, it was merely a matter of focused meditation. Knowledge unlocked all doors for Gigaer, and there was much to learn in this place. Unfortunately Gigaer's new found senses told him the serenity of this place would be gone soon. The storm that Vakor had mentioned in that meeting nearly a year ago, Gigaer could sense it on the horizon. A wall of churning black clouds that obscured his vision. The storm was unavoidable and it was almost upon them. A part of Gigaer feared it, though he could not understand why. He cleared his mind and returned to the scroll before him, sipping at some nearby tea.

The door, which lay directly ahead of Gigaer, opened silently and in shuffled one of Gigaer's attendants. Gigaer had several to see to his needs so he may stay focused on his studies. This one was a young girl who was very slight and usually silent. Gigaer could not remember a time where she looked him in the eyes, though he had done everything he could to make her feel at ease. She closed the door behind her and dropped to her knees, awaiting Gigaer's signal that she may enter and interrupt him. She floated silently over to his right side and whispered into Gigaer's ear a message, then retreated 2 feet from him, again on her knees, expecting instructions. Vakor wished to seem him immediately. Gigaer had not seen Vakor in months, probably due to escalating preparations for whatever the Elders were planning. Gigaer motioned for the attendant girl to put away the small mountain of scrolls he always seemed to create during these sessions. She nodded and began diligently as she always did.

Gigaer arose and shuffled out the door, where Rogi and Vani waited to escort him. They guarded him nearly every minute of every day, and Gigaer had to wonder when they ate or slept. Of course they refused to speak to him or look him in the eye, though unlike the others Gigaer thought these two genuinely feared him, as though he would cast a curse on them if slighted. Gigaer had become used to this prevailing attitude, though it was not easy. Unlike everywhere else in the galaxy, these people knew what the name Prano meant, and they feared and revered it. Gigaer did not acknowledge them or break stride, heading straight for the location Vakor knew he'd want to meet him.

Gigaer entered the room, expecting the same wooden table that had been there for months. Many of Gigaer's academic lessons took place in this room, and Gigaer had become comfortable here. It had become the centre of this station in his mind. This time, however, the table was gone and the shutters on the windows were closed. Gigaer entered and looked around. The lights were dimmed and the walls were covered in shadow. He focused on them and sensed out a familiar aura.

“Come out Eyes. I know you're there.”

Eyes stepped out, arms crossed and smiling in satisfaction. “I heard you could do things like that, but I had to see it for myself.”

Gigaer clasped Eyes' outstretched hand in greeting. Eyes had been teaching him the arts of stealth and subterfuge. Gigaer would never be as good as Eyes, but it was almost impossible to lie to Gigaer anymore. “What's going on here? I expected Vakor.” questioned Gigaer.

Eyes held the smile and led Gigaer to the windows. They opened to reveal a sight that caused a gasp to escape Gigaer's mouth. The ships were gone. The yards were deserted. Gigaer looked at Eyes for answers.

“Plans that were years in the making have been set into motion. Those ships were built for a purpose, and they have set out to perform their duty. Vakor and the rest of the Elders have gone with them to see it done.”

“See what done?”

“I can't tell you that. I'm here only to administer your final test. A mission of the utmost importance. Vakor needs you to retrieve an item and deliver it to his contact.”

Gigaer walked slowly away from the window, trying to calm his raging emotions and focus himself on the reality of his situation. He would probably never see this place or the Elders ever again, and while his training was more or less complete, he was unsure about his path from this point. Still, his master had given him a mission and his honour would not allow him to fail or decline. He looked back at Eyes, waiting for details.

“There's a Caldari spy that has learned of the Elders and their plans. He's a capsuleer with the Guristas and is looking to cash in on his information at a swap with a Amarr Navy Admiral. There's a Hurricane-class Battlecruiser still docked. All the details are in its databanks. If the Amarr get a hold of the Elder's plans, years of effort will be for nothing. It must be stopped.”

Gigaer could always read volumes from Eyes' silence. No words would need be exchanged. They hoped they would encounter each other again, but the future was becoming increasingly turbulent, and neither could say what tomorrow held. They respected each other, and with a quick shared nod, Gigaer ran out of the room towards the docks.

The halls were empty. Every person and piece of equipment had disappeared. The station was lifeless now when it was usually packed with activity and it sent a small chill down Gigaer's spine. This had been his home, after all. Passing the library he was in just recently, he saw the door open and the room bare. The Elders wouldn't have been so rash as to leave such precious items behind. Reaching the docks, Gigaer was shocked that the only two ships left were Gigaer's Hurricane and a Gallente Ares that must belong to Eyes. He ran into the pod bay and stepped into the capsuleer loading chamber. The automated systems here would get him into a pod and the pod into the ship.

Ten minutes later and Gigaer was through pre-flight and away. Gigaer didn't jump to warp right away, as he wanted to say goodbye to his home. He was almost half an AU away when he saw the Ares take off and jump to warp. Seconds later a series of massive explosions began to tear through the deep-space complex, finally coalescing into a mini-nova, vaporizing it. A huge shockwave raced out in all directions, and Gigaer barely had enough time to jump to warp before he was caught in it. His shields were drained to nil just by being too close to the wave.

Gigaer set course for the nearest stargate and began to review the details of his mission. Leaving another home behind him, he wondered if he'd ever find another.

From Albion to Apocolypse, and everything in between.

2008-12-01T10:11:00.006-05:00

I was a bad boy again...

I was downtown with Barry and he drifted into a crowded HMV. My stomach began to turn. I could have just told him I'd wait outside but that would have been rude, so I took a deep breath and went in. He browsed and bought nothing. I took the opportunity to keep a promise and grabbed a copy of Fable 2 for the wifey-wife.

I would have stopped then and there but I glimpsed a special edition of Fallout 3, which comes with a bobblehead, artbook and making-of DVD, all in an awesome metal lunchbox. Well worth the extra $10 for a collector of geekdom like me. I also saw the CE for Fable 2, which for the same extra cash comes only with a making-of DVD.

A good indicator if even that could be worth the price is to look at how prominently it's advertised on the packaging. In this case it was almost tucked away, which told be it was not worth it. I'll usually grab a CE just because it's a CE, these days I'm starting to demand more. And no, I never got a chance to buy the Mass Effect CE, and it haunts me to this day.

I've been playing both as much as I could on the weekend, and you'll have my thoughts on them when I've had a few more hours with each. I didn't get to play much EVE, mostly because I was not home much and I had some new games to drool over. I did get some good skill-training done though, and Mechanic V is set to be done a little before midnight Friday night, which should open up a lot for me.

I explained to the wife that I need to get all my "base skills" V'ed out. What i mean by that is all the skills that act as a base within that skill group. I'm sure there's another name for them, but that's what I call them. You know, like the Mechanic skill in the Mechanic section, and Gunnery under Gunnery.

Big shout-out and congrats to Black Claw, who managed to get himself into the vaunted CK Blog Pack. I hope to join him at some point, though I'm worried that since my blog isn't 100% about EVE, I may never make it. I do hope that everyone who's following my blog that also have their own have a link to my blog on their page via that "blogs I'm following" gadget or some other function. I display all the blogs I'm following in an effort to spread the love as best I can.

Tomorrow is the next chapter of Last Son of Prano, and I'm going to ask the wife to read over my draft of chapter 10 and let me know what she thinks. As a non-EVEer but someone loosely familiar with the mythos, she's perfect for keeping this story grounded in solid story-telling.

I was unable to get Intron Depot 3 back from Kurtis because I was too strapped for time, but I managed to pull up some scans on the net for her to start with. She's already grabbing some new Photoshop tools.

Finished the Gears of War novel. GREAT book. Reads like a World War story. I enjoyed it so much I'm writing an e-mail to the author today. I think people are being a little hard on the script in Gears 2, but these are soldiers, not poets. They're hard and tired, and it should show. It could have been a lot better, but I don't think it was terrible in general. Reading the book really helps to fill in a lot of the blanks and adds MANY layers to the characters. I look forward to more. I'll give you my full impressions Wednesday, and some comic book thoughts Thursday. Thoughts on Fable 2 and Fallout 3 on Friday. Also need to figure a new poll topic.

Ja.

Wal-Mart worker crushed to death in Black Friday customer stampede!

2008-11-28T13:19:00.005-05:00

Wal-Mart Employee Killed In Black Friday Shopping Stampede.

I usually don't post twice a day, but this made me so sick to my stomach I had to say my piece.

A 34-year old clerk was crushed by a crowd outside a Long-Island Wal-Mart early this morning. He was doing his job making sure nobody got in and the mob BROKE DOWN THE FUCKING DOORS AND TRAMPLED HIM TO DEATH! Another clerk and a pregnant mother were also trampled, which resulted in a miscarriage for the poor lady.

We don't have Black Friday in Canada, but I've experienced this first-hand. I used to work at Canadian Tire as a child and was nearly trampled by a mob looking to get some cheap fucking drills that were $10 or something. They could not wait 5 minutes until the top of the hour. They had to shove each other around like starving animals. I even had to pull an elderly lady out of the fray, who would have surely been injured. She admonished me for it, as I had cost her a crappy drill at sale price.

I'm physically getting more ill as I write this...

I hate going to Wal-Mart because of how lowly they treat their employees, but it's common in large companies like that. The problem isn't the store, because this could have happened anywhere. The problem is us. We need to re-examine what's important to us, and...

You know what. Fuck it. If this doesn't make you sad for our civilization, stop read and go kill yourself right now, because if you're so devoid of a soul that THIS does not effect you, the rest of us don't need or want you on this planet. I'm pissed and disgusted. I don't want to go to the mall or big store tomorrow or at all for a very long time. I'll get Fable 2 well after the holidays because I fear if I see another crowd of mindless shoppers ready to throw their baby at someone who wants the last fucking meaningless bobble, I'm going on a killing spree. I'll go to Million (where people are civilized), chill with Barry for a bit and then go help an old friend move (which Carl just told me about).

There better be backlash for this.

I'm gonna go puke now...

My life in Eve - Part 8

2008-11-28T09:37:00.004-05:00

just before bed I asked my wife if she read my blog today. She constantly and needlessly hesitates leaving comments (no matter how much I poke and prod) so I have to ask. She had not, and I played surprised.

"Really?" I said, looking shocked, "I made a big announcement today." That peaked her interest. I climbed into bed to indicate that I was not about to spoil it for her and she went to read it. 10 minutes later she climbs into bed and pokes me to check if I was still away. "Well? I didn't hear any typing so I know you didn't comment."

"I'm just shocked. I didn't know what to say to that. It sounds like a huge project. Are you sure you can handle it?" She said, cuddling in.

"Yes, but I won't be alone. I know the community has my back." I said. I explained to her about all the great writers and other talents in the EVE community that constantly ban together to accomplish huge projects. EVEers are extremely closely-knit. If I had to do this alone, I don't think I could.

I think I'll try to brainstorm some names for the project. Mynxee suggested "Stories from New Eden", which definitely makes the short-list. Suggest some if anything comes to mind. I use the poll to help me sort through some possibilities... so VOTE!

Minmatar Industrial IV finishes this afternoon. so tonight I'll be moving all my holdings to Abudban (pronounced by humming while vibrating your index finger between your lips) and beginning another lengthy stint in mission running for the Brutor at lvl.3-4.

I want to talk about ship names for a second. CCP does a great job of naming their ship models along certain themes, and I'm sad when I see people not taking advantage of their ability to give their ship its own name. Some corps even ask you to add a prefix acronym to signify your allegiance. Thinking up a name for my coming Maelstrom made me think about how I've named my ships in the past and how I'll do it in the future. So far I've named:

Stabber - CTF Lawn Dart (I mean... look at the thing...)
Hurricane - CTF Hyboria (it looks like a hyborian barge)
Mammoth - CTF Convoy (The nippon name for Optimus Prime)

CTF stands for COGNet Tactical Forces. I should be COGTF, but I'm not in a position to argue.

I think I'll be naming my Maelstrom Ryūmon Hōzukimaru (龍紋鬼灯丸; Dragon Crest Demon Light). To those who know Bleach it sort of fits, and the Maelstrom screams Katana to me. I could conceivably carry the Bleach Zanpakutou and Kidou theme to many other ships, and I very well may.

What have you named your ships and why?

The weekend holds an outing with my boss (Barry) and my friend (Carl). Carl needs to get his mind of his father's passing, and Barry a lonely pathetic prick with no friends and no gaming skillz. Completely devoid of 1337, uber and micro. And yes, he reads this blog. To his credit, he's an experienced chef who's giving a hobbyist foody like me lessons and tips, which I'm grateful for, so I guess that makes him pro at cooking. He warns me he's a real drill-Sargent when it comes to serious lessons, but I'm cool with that. he says his specialty is soup, so I'm going to push for lunch at the Original Soup Man and see what he thinks. Personally I think it's great stuff.

Sunday I'll be getting cozy in Abudban and using some of my newly-acquired skillbooks. probably run some missions and take stock of my standings and skills training plans. I'll probably jump on Gears 2 and see if this new patch works as well as it's supposed to. I'll find something interesting to post about. Of course I may not get the chance, since I'm purchasing Fable 2 for the wife (And Fallout 3 if I can find a used copy). I was going to buy Mirror's Edge, but I think I'll wait for the price to drop, which I'm betting it will considerably in 6 months.

Last thing: I know I promised a new look for the blog, but the wife has been busy looking for better job and that needs to take priority. I'll see what the near future holds. I'm not going with an EVE theme, since there's more to this blog than that. Right now we're mulling over a Shirow Masamune-inspired design.

Wave 50 and bringing sound to the EVE void.

2008-11-27T09:25:00.006-05:00

Found quite a few good Gears 2 players online in my friends list so I joined them in horde. They brought me into a private match and we started from wave 47 and ended up beating 50. This was a big moment for me, not because I got the achievement (because I didn't) but it made me think that the players showing off on YouTube are mostly posers.

Going into my unlocked waves, I noticed 47-50 were unlocked but 35-46 were not. The reason being that I have not beaten those waves yet. I intend to soon though. I could post a vid online showing me beating wave 50, but I was able to just because a friend of mine had it unlocked an passed it on to his friends. Wave 50 disseminated in this fashion quite quickly, I'd imagine. Want to spot them, when a vid states its difficulty level, it's phony. Any Gear worth his ammo knows Horde from wave 1 sets its own difficulty levels from casual to insane.

When Dude Huge openly challenged players to beat all 50 waves of Horde, he could not have meant for it to be done in this fashion.

Want to show your worth? Post a vid of you beating ALL 50 WAVES IN A ROW. If I had my comp hooked up to my TV I'd do it myself, recording every time I played just in case. Maybe that's something I need to look into.

The quest continues...

EVE breeds bloggers, and EVE bloggers breeds fanfiction writers. It's a harsh gauntlet to conquer, much like the agoge of ancient Sparda. We comprise as a group - arguably - the best fanfiction writers the world has to offer. We are so skilled that our work is prominently displayed both electronically and in print. The EVE player however, is a fickle creature, often making its nest out of veldspar and frozen corpses. They often do not have the time to enjoy the richer literary entries, and because of that the writer often withers and dies due to malnutrition, its foodstuffs being that of critical and vital feedback. On the other hand, engaging sound in space is rare thing for a capsuleer, and it's in this niche that the writer may yet thrive.

To this effect, I've decided to look into creating a podcast. In effect taking EVE fanfictions and making them into audio dramas, much like what you can still find on the radio here on Terra. I will need equipment (both hardware and software), a small staff for a necessary variety of voicework. and time. I think the best way to go about it is to wait for the latest interconnectivity initiatives to take hold, as a central forum from which to base operations and procure works is critical. EVE-Bloggers would be perfect, if it ever gets off the ground.

I'm not saying I'm going to do this tomorrow or even next month. It will be something I'm planning for during the next 6 months at least. If you have any interest in helping me in this noble and challenging endeavor, drop me an e-mail explaining what you want to help with, why you want to help (remember fame and fortune may await you) and your qualifications (if any).

If you're wondering what my qualifications are, I have radio and voicework training via Humber College and high school drama, as well as audio directing and editing experience. I have passion for the written word and the spoken word. I have a growing desire to be a voice in the dark, like CK and YoMma and the other podcasters, but I want to bring something unique to the table from which we all gorge ourselves. One voice to represent the writing community and lead them into the spotlight.

Ja.

EVE Blog Banter #2: All I Ever Wanted To Be Was A Capsuleer.

2008-11-26T10:07:00.007-05:00

This month's EVE Blog Banter comes to us from Brinelan over at The Shard (http://www.theshard.org). He asks: What drew us into EVE, what keeps us playing the game and what brought us back if we've ever left?

I was 4 years old when my mom and I went to visit my grandparents. I was bored out of my head as usual and was channel-surfing. My mom came to sit beside me and grabbed the remote. She'd heard of a show called Star Trek: The Next Generation and thought I should give it a look. She found it for me and left after a bit to take care of something, but that one hour changed my life forever, and I can NEVER thank her enough (Love you mommy!).

From that point on I absorbed any sci-fi I could get my hands on. Books, TV, movies, games, comics, anime... all stemmed from that mediocre first ep of TNG. Even my love of writing was conceived that day.

Fast forward to 2005 and gaming was feeling a little shallow for me. I'd played Earth and Beyond for a bit but was unimpressed. I was weary of getting into another MMO because I didn't want to spend 6 months grinding towards an imposed goal like a level cap. Research became key, and months of it led me to a trial of EVE. The tutorial filled me with fear and loathing, but once I was in open space I started to really enjoy it. After a few months I looked for a corporation and found myself in the "PvP Training Corp" of the ASCN. Turns out it was a big scam to turn noobs into disposable slave labour, and I got shafted for opening my mouth. Disappointed, I quit EVE and refocused on comics and shooters.

Looking back, it was a good thing and bad thing to quit. Bad because I would be BAD-FUCKING-ASS right now if I'd kept at it since '05, but good because it let me step back and grasp the depth of the game and how I would approach it long-term. I kept and eagle-eye on all developments and almost 8 months ago decided exactly how I'd jump back in. I was much better prepared to handle the challenges a capsuleer faces all the time.

EVE grabbed me by the brass because of its sandbox design and single-server universe, but what really drew me and kept me was the fiction. All that pseudo-science is an irresistible draw to someone like me, who tries endlessly to explain super-robot science in hard science terms. There was just too much to EVE to let it go... or for it to let go of me, depending on how you look at it. CCP never fails to impress me as a game company with vision and drive. Even through hard times and mistakes they've always done right by the gamers IMHO.

I knew I wanted to roleplay, and I joined the Ushra'Khan because that's what was promised. I'm a little underwhelmed with the RPing being done at the moment, but there's always room for improvement and I've made a lot of great friends.

The EVE-meets are a unique creature. I've been to conventions but this was a 15-20 person affair. Much more intimate then 40000 split-second faces passing you by. In the end I'd recommend EVE-meets to anyone passionate about the game and community. They're great fun and add yet another dimension to the EVE experience.

For those who want an EVE-meet on boosters, +5 faction implants and beer, there's EVE Fanfest. The party at the top of the world. It's a great event that rivals any single-game event I've ever heard of. They even have the Sisters of EVE program for those unsung heroes of EVE, the friends and family who train our skills when we're not home.

EVE has become a great source of blogging fodder because it's so vast and there's so many experiences to be had. EVE may not have the largest playerbase, but every hardcore capsuleer is with 100 WOWtards. I predict by next Fanfest the EVE blogosphere will get some major recognition.

Now almost 8 months down the road, I'm just finishing up my first major EVE fanfiction to (apparently) good reviews, I've been from 1.0 (missioning) to 0.0 (PvP) and back again, starting lvl.4 missions soon, eye-balling my first battleship and jump-clone, constantly drooling over headlines and expansions, a (hopefully) good member of the wonderful EVE blogging community.

Who knows what I'll be up to by the one year mark. I may have a capital ship, I may have my own corp within the U'K or tried my hand at Factional Warfare. I may have (finally) managed to build up my miner alt and pass control of it on to my wife. My future in EVE is as bright as the stars. Maybe I'll have upgraded my comp so I could use the premium graphics.

Ja.

Participants:

CrazyKinux's Musing: EVE Blog Banter #2: Space, the Final Frontier...
Ombeve: OOC Blog Banter 2
The Wandering Druid of Tranquility: Internet Spaceships is Serious Business
Semper EVE: The Allure of EVE
A Merry Life and a Short One: EVE Blog Banter #2 - This Is My Time
Life in Low Sec: Blog Banter #2: EVE's Enduring Allure
Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah: Eve Blog Banter - What Drew Me Into Eve?
Roc's Rambling: Blog Banter #2: Staying Power
Sahirs Journey: Why am I sitting in an internet spaceship?
Diving into PsychDiver's Psyche: EVE Blog Banter #2: All I Ever Wanted To Be Was A Capsuleer
Achernar: Just gathering intel
Sweet Little Bad Girl: Blog Banter #2
The Ralpha Dogs: The Appeal of the Never-Ending Story
A Mule in EVE: Mule Psychology : EvE Style
A Misguided Adventure: Blog Banter - Enduring Allure
One Man and His Spaceship: Blog Banter 2 - November 2008 Edition
Letrange's EVE Blog: That Banter Thing
Diary of a Space Jokey: EVE Blog Banter: How'd I get here ?!
I May Find Peace Within The Emptiness…: EVE Blog Banter #2: New Eden Bearhug…

Last Son of Prano - Chapter 7.

2008-11-25T08:43:00.001-05:00

Chapter 7.

24 hours Later.

Gigaer was led by two guards out of the medbay. He'd spent the night receiving medical attention for the injuries he sustained when the Thukker attacked him. According to the old man, The Thukker kept constant watch on him since the first day he had entered the Wildlands. Their orders were to stay close, hidden and passive. The Elders wanted him to wander and survive battle after battle until he was at his limit, then if he continued his search, they were to disable him and take him in. That last battle had damaged his pod and resulted in moderate injury. The medics made sure he could hold under the strain of interrogation before they brought him before the Elder.

The guards, who had been with Gigaer constantly since his interrogation, led him down a long hallway filled with activity. There were plenty of people and equipment rushing around, though none made eye-contact with him, and they almost seemed to give him as wide a birth as possible. Even the two guards had not spoken a word to him, and seemed to be weary of him. The only thing he could get out of them were their names, Rogi and Vani. Two of the biggest Brutor Gigaer had even seen and they were armed not only with sidearms, but surprisingly also kandjals.

They led him into the same viewing room that he had been interrogated in, which set Gigaer on edge, until he noticed that instead of a chair in the middle of the room, there was a long meeting table with 12 chairs. It looked to be make of real wood and oufitted with holographic displays. Gigaer stood at one end, winged by his keepers, while on the opposite head of the table sat the Elder he'd met the day before. It occurred to Gigaer that the old man had never given his name. He mearly handed Gigaer off to the guards, who seemed to have been instructed beforehand to tend to him.

Rogi pulled the chair out while Vani motioned formally for Gigaer to sit. Gigaer had locked eyes with the old man as soon as he'd entered the room, and didn't break the connection as he sat, trying to put out an air of confidence to offset the Elder's aura of power and control. The Elder was dressed in robes similar to what he wore last time, and Gigaer noticed the ancient Matari symbols that adorned it. Nobody else he saw wore anything like it, so they must be specific to his status. Gigaer noticed some of the people he passed in the halls wore Thukker markings, proving to him the Elders were working with the Thukker. The old man gave the guards leave and rose from his seat.

At the centre of the table sat a bottle of mead on a silver platter, along with several small crystal glasses. Smiling, the old man uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses, then walked over to Gigaer and handed him one, before returning to his seat. The old man raised his glass in a toast, but said nothing. Gigaer returned the gesture as they both drank, never breaking eye-contact. The old man set his glass down and pressed a button on the small holographic control pad to his side. The door behind the old man opened and the man Gigaer knew only as Eyes entered. Eyes shot Gigaer a smile and a reverse-nod while heading straight for the mead, poured himself a glass and took a seat at the right hand of the old man.

“OK. Let me see if I can guess what's going on here.” Gigaer said as he calmly rose from his seat and moved towards the window, breaking eyes with the old man for the first time, and now looking out over the shipyards. “You learned about me and about my Prano legacy, and decided to test me. The first test was mental. I had to deduce that Eyes was not leading me into a trap on little-to-no solid information. The second test was physical. I had to survive in the Wildlands and push my limits to resist against the local pirates. The third test was spiritual. I had to show you that I could tap into my so-called powers and sense the greater reality.” Gigaer turned back towards the table and casually poured himself another drink, raising it slightly towards the old man and Eyes before drinking the whole glass in one gulp. “So we inevitably come to the part of the story where the reason behind the tests is revealed, and believe me when I say I'm all ears.” Gigaer let the smallest amount of frustration escape his voice, letting his keepers know he was ready to be an ungracious guest if answers were not forthcoming.

“I'll tell you anything you want to know, and if you wish to leave after hearing us out we'll give you a ship and escort out of the Wildlands.” said the old man.

“First, Who are you?”

“My name is Vakor. I am an Elder of the Minmatar tribes. My associate here, Eyes, is an agent of mine and acts on my behalf.” the old man said calmly, acting as if this were a gathering of friends.

“Why did you bring me here?”

Vakor took a deep breath before answering. “ The Prano legacy has been a key part of Matari lore since the first records of our people. Your line played a vital role in shaping the thoughts and values of our civilization. The Amarr took that away from us, forcing we Elders to flee and our people to lose our way of life. The Prano name slipped away into the night, along with much of our heritage. While your clan was forced to submit like many others, we became keepers of the ancient knowledge that sustained us as a people. Now the last son of Prano has risen from the ashes of enslavement. You've proven you have the gift. A connection to the spirits and entities of our world and others. A link that surpasses all others. You are the last true Planswalker, yet you are alone. Sent out into the void of space with little training or knowledge of your birthright. We are dedicated to revitalizing true Matari culture, and we therefore had a duty to seek you out and prepare you for the duty you carry in your blood.”

Gigaer took a few seconds to absorb Vakor's words. It did gel with what little he'd managed to learn about his clan so far, but after wandering with no direction for so long, to suddenly be presented with all the answers was a little shocking. Still, Gigaer had to take this one step at a time. “So what do you propose? You'll give me the information in exchange for what? That I be your pawn in whatever bloody affair you're planning? And don't tell me you're not planning something big. All those ships you're building out there are not for show.”

Vakor rose from his seat and moved towards the window, smiling as he took in the site of hundreds of ships being built. “There is a storm coming. The Republic thinks it's free and honourable. In reality they've become stagnant and corrupt. The Amarr still enslave our people and our vaunted Republic fleet does nothing but putter around in circles. A storm comes. A storm furious enough to burn away the darkness on the path our people walk. When it comes we must all be ready to meet the call of destiny that rings out from our blood.” Vakor turned to Gigaer and placed his hands on his shoulders. For some reason this didn't put Gigaer on guard. There was an undeniable ringing of truth to Vakor's words. “We will train you as your family would have trained you, and then you will go and find your path. When you are ready and the time is right, you will know what to do.”

The look in Vakor's eyes reminded Gigaer of the look in his mother's eyes when she recorded her message to the child she would never know, and the look in his father's eyes when they decided that Gigaer should become a capsuleer. Eyes rose from his seat and walked over to the two by the window. He held a wooden case and handed it to Vakor, who opened it and revealed Gigaer's kandjal. It had been repaired and cleaned to a flawless state. Gigaer took his kandjal, thankful to be reunited with what he often thought was the other piece of himself. “The foremost masters of the art of the kandjal will be training you as part of your studies.” said Vakor. “We will be building you from the ground up. Strategy, tactics, politics, philosophy, body, mind and soul. You will represent the best of what it means to be Minmatar, if – by some miracle - you survive.”

Gigaer turned and walked slowly around to the other side of the table, taking in the moment. He turned to Vakor and Eyes and opened up with his kandjal, sending it into a masterful whistling fury, extending and retracting it over and over, performing his favorite combinations and forms. His kandjal was in top form and so was he, and he had no doubt he would have to be even better to make it out of this place alive. The thought greatly excited him. Finishing his demonstration and bowing before the Elder as a pupil to his master, Gigaer spoke once more with the grin of a adrenaline junkie.

“I just have one last question. When do we begin?”

Did I step on a butterfly or something?

2008-11-24T09:34:00.006-05:00

My karma's been in the dumps for the past few days.

My friend's dad dropped dead Friday night, and there's a lot of unresolved issues with that relationship. I don't even know the specifics, but the family isn't exactly capable of supporting itself and once the shock subsides there's going to be hell to pay, literally and figuratively. Please take a second to send a good wave their way.

it makes me think a lot about my grandmother's death a few years ago. She was taken from us by pancreatic cancer and it was very painful for everyone. Now things are very strained between my grandfather and the rest of the family. He's always angry and pushes everyone away, even when he's seemingly asking for attention. Apparently he was always this way but my grandmother held him in check. Now she's gone and nobody knows what to do. I guess after 51 years of marriage he has a right to be angry, but it's not healthy for him to be at the grave almost every day for 3 years, and nobody wants to do anything to stop him.

On my way in to work this morning I hear on the radio that my old high school nearly burned down. and once I start my shift I find out that my staff (of which I'm allotted no control but responsible for and paid the same as they are) royally fucked up on the weekend. We're talking PROPERTY DAMAGE due to security's negligence. I'm a security guard/concierge at a downtown condo in Toronto, and I'm about to pull my hair out over $10/hour.

I've gotta counter these bad vibes. Gaming might work but not looking for any death and destruction at my own hands. Presense IV finishes tonight at 7ish, which officially finishes my Learning skill training. My next bit of business is to get my Minmatar Industrial up to III so I can use a Mammoth to move myself to Abudban. Then it's all about mission running got isk and standings while fixing up my skills in every other category.

Maybe a movie would be better. I'm sure I have something uplifting somewhere.

It's a bad thing to start a week this depressed, so if I don't act on it now I'll ruin everything up to Friday, and maybe beyond.

Tomorrow is the next chapter of Last Son of Prano. I'm running into a bit of writing block on the final chapter, but I've really got to jump on it and work through it.

Maybe I need a good wave sent my way as well. It's important for me to be happy for my wife's sake. She's easily depressed and I can't let her get down on our situations. I have to bare it. She was not able to work on the blog's look last week because her job at the bakery was finally giving her some decent hours, which is a good thing. The blog will change when she has the time.

26th brings us to the next Blog Banter, brought to us by CrazyKinux. I'll be giving my thoughts on the king of the EVE blogosphere this week. The Banter blog entry will be out in the evening, so no entry in the morning like usual for that day.

Ja.

Mass Effect 2: How would I make the sequel better?

2008-11-22T17:50:00.002-05:00

While I really love the ME, I do have a few suggestions for the sequel.

1) Garrus returns as your Spectre apprentice. He said he was going to go back to C-Sec and re-apply for Spectre training, so let's see where that goes.

2) I'm pretty sure the Asari Consort is a Shadow Broker, so have a nice long side-quest for that.

3) Shepard should split from the alliance to more fully embrace his Spectre duties. He should be given an honourary C-Sec rank (Executor sounds nice) and the crew of the Normandy should be made up of plenty of other races.

4) Now that Shepard isn't with the Alliance anymore (assuming you go with suggestion #3) and probably doesn't have to look so polished, you could probably have a lot more variation in the character creator/modify an existing model with new options. One could conceivably go nuts with colours of eyes and hair (consider cosmetic genetic manipulation would make thinks like red eyes and silver hair possible, or even heterochromia iridium).

5) Ditch the Mako. Instead have some small mecha (Arm-slaves from Full Metal Panic come to mind as a good starting point because their "lambda driver" could give the thought of biotics an a mecha scale and the tech is definitely not beyond what is present in the ME universe). Three small mecha could slide out of the Normandy's doors just like the Mako does now. There are plenty of customization options there.

6) We need an A.I. party member to add another dimension to what should definitely be happening with the Geth, just like Wrex added something to Virmire. How about a ship-board A.I. named Aegis. She could also have an engineer avatar robot for missions. It's a good character to pivot some stories on concerning the Geth. I'll have to outline my thoughts on this option later in more detail, but there's a logic to it.

7) Biotics should have a little more offensive capability. Warp should evolve into some sort of projectile pulse, maybe like a Hadouken or a quigong strike from the manga Tenjhou Tenge.

8 ) Limit the amount of returning characters. Liara should commit her life to researching everything on Ilos. Tali should go back to the Quarian fleet and spend the next few years decoding those files you gave her. Wrex should only be around if you have a cure for the genophage, which he can use to unite his people. I doubt Kaiden or Ashley really have much more story to tell, so we can brush them aside easily. Priesly should go, but Chakwas and Joker should stay. All that said, it would be cool to have the old removed characters get nice cameos. Bring in one of those Salarian commandos to replace Ashley, and a HOT freelancer human from the Terminus to round out the attitude spectrum on the Normandy. I've actually come up with some good stories for these new characters.

9) A quest to cure the genophage should be an option at some point. Also, keep running with the Cerberus story.

10) The look of armours and weapons should be more varied. Nothing crazy, just cool. Bungie had a nice design thing going with their Halo 3 multiplayer armour permutations, but I'm sure you guys could blow them out of the water.

11) A higher level cap then 60. Ideally (but it's probably not really doable), have the chance to have every skill on one character and max them all out.

12) Spectres should have access to some cool (but not wierd) genetic mods/cybernetic enhancements. I'm thinking a little Ghost in The Shell here. I'm aware there are laws prohibiting certain genetic augmentations, but since Spectres are above the law...

13) My wife wanted this really badly, but female Shepards should be able to romance Garrus. Don't ask me why, but she thinks Turians are super-hot!

14) I'd like to see some good examples of design differences in the technology of different races. At some point I should be able to clearly differentiate design doctrines, look at a random piece or tech and instantly know who made it.

15) Squad control should allow you to command members separately, as well as together.

16) All the issues with graphics, A.I., sound and everything else are fixable. Make us drool for it while you really polish your work. Keep us occupied with podcasts, pics, vids, blogs and everything else you can think of to make a fan squeal, but don't rush on our account. We will appreciate you all the more that way. Make sure to use the HDD install ability of the NXE.

17) More mini-games with more variety. There's an old Star Trek FPS that had a cool system bypass mini-game, so maybe something like that.

18) Grenades were odd. I'd like them to have different settings. The standard setting would be the same as it is now, but you could also set it to sticky proximity and maybe add a very slight homing option to the primary option. Bend it like you would a frisbee or soccerball.

19) I'm not screaming "brink back lightsaber melee combat!" like some deranged Star Wars fan (no hate brothers, its all love), but maybe a re-examination of the melee options in ME is advisable. Military vibro-knives, bayonets and some martial arts action COULD be pretty cool.

20) The Codex should have vids connected to some of its entries, and there should be a master codex viewable from the game selection screen (in extras maybe), because even though each time I start a new character it clears the in-game codex, I'd still like access to the entries I've already unlocked.

21) Seth Green could be asked to colour a little of the more humourous script. Not that the current team isn't doing a fantastic job (because they ARE), but Seth is a master of comedy and might be able to add one or two things. He's already on as Joker (wonderful job on all the voice acting BTW), why not.

22) Normandy should get an overhaul. Change it a little in 2 and again a little in 3.

I took these from a post I made on the Mass Effect offical boards. Check the link for other suggestions and responses from other players. I managed to get 4 pages of good discussion going. I did remove some of my suggestions and change a few others slightly for this post becaause I've had quite some time to think them over. Let me know what you all think!

Ja.

WAVE 35!

2008-11-21T09:08:00.005-05:00

I'm not one to get excited easily when playing online. I get more easily excited when playing a game with a good story-telling, and when I say excited I mean screaming and jumping and humping my monitor. EVE gets me focused, but rarely have I gone wacko in my signature way that sacre the cat and makes the wife want me (don't deny it babe).

Last night on Gears 2 Horde was a definite exception.

I played 2 rounds. The first took 10 minutes to find a game and I ended up with a bunch of noob losers. I almost went to bed afterwards because I was so pissed but I tried one more time. Quickly connected and we voted on the Day One map. Anyone who's familiar with it during a Horde game knows what the deal is. It's an intersection on a ruined street with a huge crater in the center. Locust can come from all 4 directions, there's 2 ammo boxes near the north and south sides of the crater, 2 outcroppings to snipe from, and a Hammer of Dawn in one of them.

The key is for two players with good skills with the Hammer and mortars to hold the outcroppings and support the rest of the squad as the run fast and coordinated at ground level. Support means good communication and direction, as well as covering fire. Communication is always key in multiplayer, and horde is no different. Silent squads who don't work together, die divided.

So, I say hi at the beginning, no response, Damn. Someone gets killed on wave 2, double-damn. I see one Wretch left being chased by everyone and I say "Whoever kills the Wretch gets a gold star!" Laughs all around. We rip a bit into the slacker who died in wave 2 and almost every wave after that, "Slim Tugger" being clearly out of his element. Suddenly we come together as a squad. I mean MAN UP! BUCKLE DOWN! BALLS TO THE WALLS! I lay out my plans and they come together like a real squad should.

There were are few waves were it was one guy left going Rambo and saving the match, and we'd shower him with praise. Wave 17 comes around, which was my previous limit. I pipe up with, "If we make it past this wave, you all make my friends list!" which prompted yays and laughs all around. In the end we made it to wave 35, and would have gotten further if Slim Tugger was not such a waste of virtual space. Sure enough I sent friend requests to everyone (expect ST). These guys are exactly the type of player you want to play with again. Guaranteed good times.

I really wanted to keep going with these guys, but I was already cutting into some much-needed sleep-time. I was so pumped that it took me a while to come down.

Will I ever get that wave 50 achievement? I don't know. I think it'll be a real rarity among the playerbase. Only held by real pros. It'll be something I and many others aspire to.

My weekend? I'll blow through the rest of the Gears book and give you my impressions on Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to work on Prano and hopefully my friend will come through with that copy of R6V2. Other then that, Empathy V finishes @8ish and presense IV will be the last Learning skill to train for me. Finally I can get back to skills that have a direct effect on my abilities. My post on the weekend will be about another near-perfect 360 game: Mass Effect.

I'd like to point out the poll is up but hasn't been getting much attention. It's a pretty simple question: What are you? Also, feel free to send me a friend request on Live, but be sure you identify yourself in the request and be ready to play online at least occasionally. I've added the Gamertag gadget to make me easily findable.

One last thing. I found this link that gives you a transparent .png of you Live avatar. Here's me and the wife.

Ja

Experiencing the New Experience.

2008-11-20T09:27:00.003-05:00

I got home and dashed right for the 360. Turned it on and got to building my avatar and playing around with the interface.

BUT FIRST! I asked the wife to write me an e-mail about her thoughts on the NXE. What I didn't tell her was I'd be posting that e-mail here. She's a little shy, and I like to mess around with her like this once in a while. Shocks to the system can be healthy. I found the e-mail sitting on my comp's screen at home, and I realized she's ranted and lost her nerve. I pressed the send button for her. Yeah, I'm an asshole. So she wrote:

And so xbox has jumped onto the avatar bandwagon..

I've seen many systems of avatar creation over the net, and I have to say that my 30 or so minutes of fiddling with the new xbox avatars, I was not impressed. Ok, so at least they're a step up from the Nintendo's Miis, but I still think they're ugly IMHO.

I understand that being the first release, there was a limit to what they could release. But I was a bit disappointed with a few things, like couldn't they at least include 1 long hairstyle? It seems like all female styles are reduced to the same hair length, while they have several patterns for balding men. Also the clothing selection consists of various t-shirts and shorts, with a few exceptions. But my biggest grievance is with the chin and nose features. Do people really look like that?

On the good side, the amount of colors for things like skin, eyes and makeup were nice, as well as eye and lip styles. Also a plus for me is the inclusion of the elven ears and vampire teeth.. lol.

In the end I managed to get my fairly decent avatar to look somewhat like me. And no I didn't end up keeping the elven ears or vampire teeth.. :P

As for the new interface.. I'm not really a big fan of the cascading tiles.. For certain sections of it I think it works really well, like the achievements section. It's much easier to just flip through, especially if you have a lot of games. As well as the market place, showing the top adds, and the friends list, although I can see it being a problem when you just want to see who's online quickly. I just hope they find a way to re-integrate our theme packs. And the party system sounds like a good idea, but I don't have that many people on my friend's list.

What point is there to these avatars anyways? Sure some games will incorporate them, but most of the games we play use they're own characters in online play. But would you really want to use your avatar to play horde on Gears of War 2? Although being able to equip the golden lancer to your avatar would be awesome!

Hopefully they'll take some lessons from the great avatar site out there like IMVU, Meez, There, or Second Life. Being able to change emotions, or the 'smile and wave' action, more customization, and cooler items, and maybe a reason to use it, like a good chat interface, and then it wouldn't be so bad.. maybe..

I'll give it a chance for now, but I think I'll stick to Gaia.

~Links~

There
IMVU
Second Life
Meez
Gaia

Good thoughts hun. I'm sure in 6 months most of those issues will be fixed, or at least more to your liking.

Honestly I'm a little unimpressed with the avatar creation system. i wanted to mess around with body types a little more then what they allowed, and the clothing selection could have been better.

The interface had a good layout and most things were easy to access. Cascading tiles are OK for me, though by pressing the player button you can bring up something resembling the old blades. I ended up clearing out my friends list, going from 49 to 26. I added CrazyKinux, and I'm hoping more EVEers interested in playing over Live with me send me their gamertags. During the mass exodus of friends, I actually had to restart my system a handful of times due to freezing.

I learned why two of my friends could not play with their 360s online. Apparently the Live service Rogers wireless routers don't like each other. Rogers position on it after 45 minutes on the phone is that it's a Microsoft issue. I hope someone is looking into fixing this.

Didn't play anything really last night, as playing around with the NXE took up most of my evening. Looking to get some Horde in tonight. I'm getting through the Gears of War novel quickly, and I'm finding it very enjoyable. I need to make sure I make my Amazon purchase soon so I can still have something to read on the bus.

On EVE, Empathy V and Presense III finish tomorrow. That only leaves Presense IV and I'm done with learning skills! I was thinking about the possibility of skill queuing last night, and the idea came to me of a skill continuing to train automatically past levels reached. For example, if I were to leave Weapon Upgrades III training, it would go to IV and automatically start training V. What do you think? What is the best way to possibly implement skill-queuing?

Ja.

New Xbox Experience about to be experienced.

2008-11-19T09:12:00.002-05:00

First off, had an AWESOME time on horde last night. ran into a few fun guys and we ran a few waves. Highest wave we made it to was about 17, which makes me wonder if I'll ever get that wave 50 achievement. I gotta start clearing out my friends list. Also gotta post a link to this blog in my bio.

Anywho. Woke up. Shit. Shower. Shave. Checked BOINC. Checked skills. Turned on my 360 and installed the New Xbox Experience. Turned it off and went to work.

No time to mess around with it yet. I've done all the reading and know mostly what to expect, but I'll give my impressions tomorrow. Today I want to talk about what I'm expecting.

1) Fun with Avatars. I want this to be fun enough to lure the wife away from Gaia, which is a lot to ask, but I'm asking it. I want lots of variation and stuff to mess around with.

2) Easier interface. The first 360 UI was pretty cool, but it was a little unwieldy and I'm hoping for better.

3) Faster loading. Now that you can install games on to the HDD, I'm hoping some of my bigger games will benefit from it. Too Human and Mass Effect come to mind. This is obviously one more reason for me to get the Elite, as it has a larger HDD.

4) Canadian fairness. Content on Live is NOT the same as that in the U.S. We can not DL a lot of the same content as our friends to the south and we can not view TV while the box is on, using the interface to pal around and set up group gaming. I want my 360 to be a PVR. On-demand and streaming and parties and all that stuff.

I'll give it a good go tonight and let you know what I think tomorrow.

Friday's post will be my impressions of the ambulation and Tech-3 Fanfest vids. I'll try and give as detailed an impression as I can.

Ja.

Last Son of Prano - Chapter 6.

2008-11-18T08:37:00.002-05:00

Chapter 6.

3 Days Later.

Gigaer never really thought about the afterlife. Different groups had different ideas, and they all seemed equally plausible, but when you spend so much time with the metaphysical aspects of one reality, you tend to not want to deal with others. One thing that Gigaer didn't expect was the pain. Being dead was surprisingly painful, and that blinding light shining in his face was annoying.

Gigaer's eyes rolled grudgingly to the front, straining against the fog in his mind to focus back on reality. There was a single bright light blasting in his face, and his head was slacked limply backwards. Gigaer used the pain screaming from every part of his body, moving his head forward and taking slow stock of his situation. Firstly, he was definitely alive. His head was pounding, which meant he probably had a minor concussion, and the rest of his body was aching, which meant the rest of him was equally pummeled. There was an odd numbness to the pain, as if it where echoing down a long corridor.

As he tried to move sharp pangs called out from his right bicep, his wrists and ankles. Slowly turning his head and bringing his eyes back into focus, he noticed not only were his hands and feet bound with metal handcuffs, and an I.V. was embedded in his arm, feeding a sinister-looking black liquid straight into his veins from a nearby stand. The light came from overhead, so bright that he could not identify the source. He was strapped to a simple metal chair. Beyond his cone of light was nothingness. An empty black void that he could not see through no matter how focused his gaze.

Calling upon his simple mental and breathing exercises, Gigaer brought the rest of himself back into the here and now. He fought against what he could only assume was an anesthetic feeding into his arm, but its hold was powerful and the fog was still thick.

“We see you have learned a thing or two about the power of your will. That drug would keep an Amarr xenophobe sedated in a room full of Matari politicians.” Said a booming voice from the darkness. It seemed to come from every direction and was heavily distorted. It was low and godlike, booming through his body and making his head pound. Gigaer felt nausea creep from his bowels but managed to speak.

“Who are you? Where am I”

“Questions. The beginning of wisdom.” The voice chuckled softly. “ Understand you are but a baby among a pack of wolves. We sniff at you because we are curious, but do not try our patience. We will ask questions and you will answer them.”

Gigaer tried not to show weakness, but the drug made that impossible. “I don't understand. Who are you?” A sharp and explosive pain raked through his body, causing him to let out a small scream in surprise. The surge only lasted a second, and it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It was as if all if his body's pain receptors were switched on for a moment, then turned off. A blinding, nameless pain that he didn't care to experience again. However his captors did it, Gigaer did not wish to provoke that action again.

“ WE will ask, and you will answer. Now, what is your name?" Boomed the voice, commanding Gigaer to obey. There was no malevolence in the voice as far as Gigaer could tell. Whoever it was took no pleasure in causing pain.

“My name is Gigaer.”

“What is your clan?”

That one question spoke volumes to Gigaer. He came into the Wildlands because someone knew more about his legacy than he did. Whoever that was hired Eyes to track him down and send him into nullsec, screaming a code over and over into the void, attracting nothing but trouble. Pirates didn't take capsuleers prisoner, and neither did slavers. Too much trouble. The pieces of memory began to drag back into place. The last attack was by the Thukker tribe, and the Thukker were not known for operating in the Wildlands. Every attack prior to that was by the Angel Cartel. Were his captors Thukker? Were the Thukker the ones who hired Eyes to bring Gigaer into the Wildlands? His gut told him this interrogation was not what it seemed. “Prano.”

“No deception?”

“No point. If what your agent said it true, you know more about me then I do.” Gigaer said with as much confidence as he could muster. Even the captive could learn about his captors if he was clever and observant. “You wanted me here, so here I am.” Another wave of agony hit him, this time lasting a little longer. The drug feeding into him amazingly didn't numb the pain at all and he hid it as well as he could, only letting out a small grunt. Gigaer's head felt like it was about to explode, and his heart was racing. He figured another jolt like that could cause an aneurysm.

“Your mind is quick, and so is your mouth. We may just be Thukker pirates, and if we are, then you're no use to us. So, why are you still alive?”

Gigaer had nothing to go on. Who would know about him? He thought about it for days with no clue, and now if he didn't answer the question right, he would probably die. Panic poked at the edges of his mind and his body was past the breaking point. The only thing he could think about was the image of his mother, and the odd expression on her face that Gigaer could never identify... until now.

Trust. She trusted her son to do what needed to be done. His father trusted him to find his way, and Eyes and his benefactors trusted him to survive. Now, Gigaer had to trust himself. He called upon all his training and exercises, reaching past his physical self and out into the darkness.

“Because you're not Thukker. Because like me you're something the world has either forgotten about or believes is dead and gone.”

The I.V. beeped and the flow of drugs changed from black to white and the fog in Gigaer's head quickly began to diminish. The blinding light above him calmed and other soothing lights came on in the room, fully illuminating what looked like a small and empty viewing room. Shutters on the wall opened, revealing space, and a vast shipyard. In front of him a metal door slid open and an ancient Matari man walked in, wearing robes that could almost be called regal. The old man walked up to Gigaer and waved his hand through the air, signaling to a wall-mounted camera Gigaer had not noticed before. The restraints and I.V. disengaged and Gigaer stood slowly to meet the old man's gaze. “You're not Thukker. You are The Elders.”

A grin formed on the old man's face that could almost be called sinister.