Warfare & Tactics

I agree with you in principle but do you not think the scope of ambition also defines the quality of the player? I think perhaps a good pvper needs to be not just successful in his chosen arena, but must also test the limits of what can be done there in.

This game is 40% intelligence, 40% experience and 20% skill.

Sartorial elegance and erudition.

The boot with which you stamp on your opponent's face should always be made of the finest leather and protected by spats. Gentlemens' apparel and evening wear should be mandatory whenever you find occasion to undock.

This is why you're pro at pvp and we suck. We can't do ascii art like you.

It's 80% experience, 10% confidence, 13.5% illicit drugs.

It also helps if your head isn't up your own ass.

In all seriousness, there are some universal characteristics of good pvp'ers.
1. They use the screen to give them information during a fight (and not just stare at the overview). When you start doing this, you're on your way.
2. They can manually pilot.
3. They understand the risks going into their fights (good or bad).
4. They don't need an FC to make the call to do something during a big brawl.

List of characteristics and skills what make a PVPer good is long, but there is one thing that makes of break anyone attempting to be "good":

If you can't upengage several opponents in and above your ship class and win when flying a T1 ship without links and/or pirate implants, you aren't good.

1) Practice - pvping is a perishable skill - I've been trying to pvp on and off for years, and I've never been as successful as I would have liked. I find that every time I unsub or decide to do something else, what little skill I developed in the last few engagements quickly disappears.

2) Know Thy Enemy - you not only have to know all the details of your ship (optimal range, best tactics, etc) but also that of all the enemy ships you'll be engaging. Eve is a rock/paper/scissors game. If you are flying a scissors fit ship, you have to look at the other guy and judge if he is either paper or rock, based on what ship he's in and how he's flying it.

3) Eve mechanics - Also you need to have a perfect understanding of how eve works, everything from how your weapons function to undock and aggression timers. The last thing you need is to get caught with your pants down because the game refused to let you dock or chase someone through a gate.

4) Piloting and situational awareness - set up your overview properly and learn how to read it, so you know things like who's traversal is high and who is trying to tackle you, from there you can start making decisions on what direction to fly or who to orbit. Learn how to use your d-scan as well.

Hg pirate set, links, high bc rank, only pvps in high sec.

I was being ironic and not specifically thinking about anyone/you. I do not think that there is one universally good way to measure who is a good pvper and who isn't because it doesn't matter. Also how the **** can you be poor and in fw? When I did fw I was pretty much swimming in enough isk to fit rf webs on my t1 frigs.