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Missions & Complexes

 
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What's the logic in farming keycards?

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Private Pineapple
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#1 - 2012-06-04 03:54:56 UTC  |  Edited by: Private Pineapple
So... I was just running this 1/10 Pithi DED Complex in Kusomonmon. All was good and I saw no one was in overview as I was approaching to pop the vessel with lewtz waiting for me. Popped the Retired Mining veteran or whatever his name is. Opened loot, saw a Pithi C-Type Small Shield Booster. Yippee. That SSB is pretty much the only reason anyone should farm that plex. Being relaxed, I took my sweet, sweet time (ok, 3 seconds) to move the loot over to my cargo...

But wait!

The cargo container window disappeared! Puzzled, I looked for it but I saw some red dude in a Federation Navy Comet (alas, I am just a day 2 character so I'm flying a Rifter with t1 crap).

"Nicely done" I thought.

But thoughts of questions followed:

"How did he do this?"

I answered myself: he either farmed the keycards or bought keycards so when someone ran the plex and he couldn't get the keycards himself, he could use the farmed/bought keycards to enter the plex while someone was running it. But...

"Why would anyone farm keycards!?"

I don't see the logic in it. To farm the keycards for a plex such as this one means you have to NOT do the plex, basically... The plex is a 3-part plex, where the last two plexes require a keycard to get in, and the keycard is destroyed when you activate the acceleration gate. Why would anyone do this? If you get the keycard, why not just... you know, do the plex instead of farming the keycard and selling it off in Contracts for a million ISK or keep it to jump another dude running the plex without you.

However, I do understand it when it comes to low sec or 0.0 plexes, because then there's also another reason: to jump some poor dude and pop his ship. But... we're talking about a highsec 1/10 DED plex.

What's the logic in farming keycards for highsec plexes?

I did try to ask the dude who ninja'd the SSB but he didn't really know English and left every priv convo after saying one line. So the conversation with the dude was taken to local - some other guy who talked in local as well eventually blocked me because he thought I was crying about losing the SSB... so I am forced to come to the forums to figure out what's going on in the minds of these demigods.

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Derath Ellecon
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#2 - 2012-06-04 04:34:15 UTC
I'm certainly not an expert at all complexes, but I am pretty sure that once unlocked they are unlocked for good. So he would not have needed one to come in after you.
St Mio
Imperial Academy
Amarr Empire
#3 - 2012-06-04 05:37:28 UTC
Private Pineapple wrote:
(...)
I don't see the logic in it. To farm the keycards for a plex such as this one means you have to NOT do the plex, basically...

If he's already in the last room, he could always keep farming the other keys with an alt and not using them on the gate immediately. Also, as the other guy said, the key might unlock the gate for everyone for x seconds.

IMHO it's pretty sad to see older players in expensive ships farming DED 1/10s but hey, that's life.
Anya Ohaya
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#4 - 2012-06-04 10:26:12 UTC
There was a time, maybe about a year ago, where they were bugged and you didn't need the keycards. I still have a bunch of cards from back then.
Private Pineapple
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#5 - 2012-06-04 11:13:48 UTC  |  Edited by: Private Pineapple
Derath Ellecon wrote:
I'm certainly not an expert at all complexes, but I am pretty sure that once unlocked they are unlocked for good. So he would not have needed one to come in after you.


Maybe in private complexes (the ones you have to probe for) but in public complexes it does not work this way.

St Mio wrote:
Private Pineapple wrote:
(...)
I don't see the logic in it. To farm the keycards for a plex such as this one means you have to NOT do the plex, basically...

If he's already in the last room, he could always keep farming the other keys with an alt and not using them on the gate immediately. Also, as the other guy said, the key might unlock the gate for everyone for x seconds.

IMHO it's pretty sad to see older players in expensive ships farming DED 1/10s but hey, that's life.


It would have to be unlocked for minutes for the guy to do what he did.

Anya Ohaya wrote:
There was a time, maybe about a year ago, where they were bugged and you didn't need the keycards. I still have a bunch of cards from back then.


I guess that's possible, though the guy is on a 8-9 month old char (but probably has an older main).

.
ISD Eshtir
ISD Community Communications Liaisons
ISD Alliance
#6 - 2012-06-04 12:01:33 UTC
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mxzf
Shovel Bros
#7 - 2012-06-04 15:16:54 UTC
I know that when I'm exploring in Angel space I'll swing by any 2/10 I go by. I use my dscan to check if anyone's camping it and I'll just take the key from the first room and keep going if I know the place is camped. I have about two-dozen keycards stockpiled because of that.
Private Pineapple
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#8 - 2012-06-04 15:21:13 UTC
mxzf wrote:
I know that when I'm exploring in Angel space I'll swing by any 2/10 I go by. I use my dscan to check if anyone's camping it and I'll just take the key from the first room and keep going if I know the place is camped. I have about two-dozen keycards stockpiled because of that.


Interesting, but doesn't explain how this person could have stockpiled the second keycard needed.

.
Rahzi
Sons Of Brutor
#9 - 2012-06-04 19:29:20 UTC
He was more than likely just sitting in the last room cloaked.
mxzf
Shovel Bros
#10 - 2012-06-04 20:46:22 UTC
Private Pineapple wrote:
mxzf wrote:
I know that when I'm exploring in Angel space I'll swing by any 2/10 I go by. I use my dscan to check if anyone's camping it and I'll just take the key from the first room and keep going if I know the place is camped. I have about two-dozen keycards stockpiled because of that.


Interesting, but doesn't explain how this person could have stockpiled the second keycard needed.


Well, it kinda does. If you've got 10 keycards stockpiled, it's not a huge deal to burn 2-3 of them getting a secondary key (I never bothered doing this myself, since the timer layout of the Angel 2/10 was such that it was pointless to do that).
Private Pineapple
Brutor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#11 - 2012-06-04 20:53:08 UTC  |  Edited by: Private Pineapple
Rahzi wrote:
He was more than likely just sitting in the last room cloaked.


You can fit a cloak on a Federation Navy Comet?

mxzf wrote:
Private Pineapple wrote:
mxzf wrote:
I know that when I'm exploring in Angel space I'll swing by any 2/10 I go by. I use my dscan to check if anyone's camping it and I'll just take the key from the first room and keep going if I know the place is camped. I have about two-dozen keycards stockpiled because of that.


Interesting, but doesn't explain how this person could have stockpiled the second keycard needed.


Well, it kinda does. If you've got 10 keycards stockpiled, it's not a huge deal to burn 2-3 of them getting a secondary key (I never bothered doing this myself, since the timer layout of the Angel 2/10 was such that it was pointless to do that).


I think the timers on the 2nd keycard drop and target vessel in last room are the same, so if you get the secondary keycard why not just do the last room then?

.
DeMichael Crimson
Republic University
Minmatar Republic
#12 - 2012-06-05 09:46:38 UTC
Players who take the key and then leave usually do that when there's a few complexes located nearby. They know the respawn time for the keys and can basically keep those complexes 'reserved' for themselves just by going back to each complex at the appropriate time. This is usually done for the first key required to advance in that complex. After they have a sizable amount of those keys, they will also collect up some of the secondary keys as well.

The reason for that is to hopefully stop other players from running the complex which allows them time to quickly complete each of the nearby complexes. I think the respawn timer is about 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Since you were in the 3rd room, that means 2 keys were required. I know when I used to run the static complexes, I would carry a couple of keys with me, usually 2 for the 1st gate and 1 for the 2nd gate. The reason for that was due to 'Key Grabbers'.

'Key Grabbers' are players that enter the complex while you're engaged with the NPC's and will go straight for the key, get it and quickly enter the next room. When that happens, I'd disengage from the NPC's and use my 'extra' key to follow them and basically do the same to them in the next room since they are now busy being aggro'd by NPC's.

If that happens in the 2nd room, then I'd quickly go for the Overseer first in case the 'Key Grabber' is also carrying an extra key and decides to follow, which is usually the case. Then it becomes a race to see who can get the overseer first. Sometimes it will end up with someone becoming a thief, turning red and warping out.

If you do happen to get the overseer and they enter afterwards and see it's gone with you engaging the NPC's, sometimes they will take some loot, turn red, and target you. This allows them to monitor the damage being done to your ship and if you're quickly shooting reds and not paying attention, you could unknowingly shoot them also, allowing them to attack you and with the help of the NPC's..give them an easy killmail and collection of the loot.

So definitely pay attention when you're in those complexes and don't lollygag around.


DMC

'The Plan' | California Eve Players | Proposal - The Endless Battle
Anya Ohaya
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#13 - 2012-06-05 11:02:23 UTC
Private Pineapple wrote:
Rahzi wrote:
He was more than likely just sitting in the last room cloaked.


You can fit a cloak on a Federation Navy Comet?


I think you could squeeze a standard cloak on, and it has a utility high slot so you wouldn't lose any DPS.