EVE New Citizens Q&A

(reserved for when I can use a proper computer)

Okay... so I'm going to slice and dice your post so I can help you understand everything that has happened to you.


Let's start here.

It is a thing because this is how the game was designed.
No seriously. You are touching on a core philosophy of the game along with game mechanics that facilitate that philosophy.

This philosophy is; every player has the ability to do what they want to do in EVE, even if that includes interfering with other players.

With regards to Stargates and system jumping... they were created as both a solution to early issues regarding server architecture and as a way to "force" players to interact beyond just the stations (see: they make stargates as chokepoints so that people couldn't just hop from system to system and easily avoid others).


As for insta-locking... that has also been in the game for years. But here is an interesting bit of info:
Fitting a ship is both an artform and science. If you add too much armor, it takes away from speed. Have more speed, you have to give up defense and/or firepower. It is all about tradeoffs.

So you see that insta-locking ship there? That ship have most likely given up some significant capabilities in other areas in order to be very good at popping little ships that just come through a stargate. Outside of that area of specialty, it is VERY vulnerable. So that "skill-less" pilot is actually juggling info and data on his scanner and overview screen to be aware of who is nearby, what he/she can take and cannot take, when and how to bail, and where to bail to.

Put it another way... it is the difference between simple and easy. The tactic and result are very simple. Performing the tactic is not exactly easy (or without risk).



You know the saying of starting a business? "Location, location, location."

EVE has a similar mantra; "Memorize the ships, memorize the bonuses, memorize the mechanics, play the odds."

Frigate fights are fast and furious. They all lock fast (sub 5 seconds) and they are all paper-thin.
The Slicer in particular follows this paradigm by being relatively faster compared to most other frigates and quite paper-thin. Plus, the bonus attached to the hull gives its guns extra range.

What this means is that people fit the Navy Slicer to min/max these aspects; making it MORE paper-thin and even faster. Plus they add in various drugs, implants, and other stuff to min/max even further.

There are only three counters off the top of my head to this:
- Electronic Warfare: use a sensor dampener to cut the range of the Navy Slicer. This will force it to get in closer, giving you a chance to grab and kill it (which won't be hard because they generally have no tank). Failing this, the Slicer will just bail.

- Be faster: I see you tried to use a Taranis to kill a Navy Slicer. Theoretically you should have been able to go faster... so I am thinking that either the Slicer pilot was min/maxing or your skills were not up to snuff.
(NOTE: ALWAYS fit rigs to a Tech 2 ship. You have spent 10+ million for the hull itself... you have no good excuse not to buy at least 2 million ISK worth in rigs that can dramatically increase your performance).

- Be part of a team: Youtube videos are no substitute for real hands-on training. A lot of stuff out there can be out of date or you may not "get" certain mechanics and how they work. This is where joining a GOOD established corporation helps.

(Pro-tip 1: if you are already part of a corporation, but you are coming to the forums for help because there is no one in corp to help you... you are NOT in a good corp. Find another one that will teach and invest in you).

(Pro-tip 2: if you are one of those players that wants to be a "solo player" then kudos to you! You are taking the "hard road." But bear in mind that even Achilles needed training from others who knew their ****! You are no different and not a special snowflake in this regard)

(Pro-tip 3: okaaaay... you don't have a lot of time to dedicate to the game. And? Not every corporation is going to demand your attendance every day. There are some chill players and corporations out there. But they are often soft spoken and don't advertise themselves... so you need to find THEM!)

(Pro-tip 4: wanna hear something funny? Those "chill" players" I mentioned? The ones who "know their ****"? They are often the same people who are killing you). After an engagement... open a conversation with them. Ask them [politely] "how did you do that??" Go ahead. You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain by doing this)



Now with regards to your killboard history:

- The Magnates that died on July 27th and July 29th in high-sec... you died because your corporation was at war. More than that, you had no tank to soak up the incoming damage from that Svipul.
Next time: Fit half as many stabs and always have a Damage Control fit.

- With regards to everything else (especially the stuff that died in null-sec)... fit up your exploration ships like PvP ships.
And for the love of Bob, do not use a prototype cloak. They are terrible.

I'm not sure how many of your kills/deaths are on zkill since you don't appear to be api verified but from the ones it does have there's plenty to take from it.

Firstly a smartbomb ship on a gate is just that, you can mostly avoid them by simply checking the gate with dscan instead of blindly warping to them. After a while you'll learn the common gates and routes where you are likely to encounter them. Then there's your choice in ship. An interceptor is not an easy to fit and fly frigate, more so for someone lacking experience and even worse when you consider the fact you are solo. I highly applaud those that go at it alone and learn the hard way but that's not to say it's the right way for everyone. You should start of with a more affordable and disposable frigate to learn the core aspects lowsec. Combat will come but you seem to be falling foul of more than just that. Once you have the whole lowsec thing down then you can start to focus on the actual pvp and the more interacate aspects of it's mechanics. Make sure you know how to traverse lowsec safely and understand not just how to make a bookmark but also the why's and where's of them. Look more closely at the areas in which you choose to fly and utilise safer entry points then just the closest to the trade hub. Think about forming your own staging system near or inside lowsec and have courier corps like Red Frog ship all your gear for you. There's nothing worse than having to spend 20 minutes reshiping when it could take you 3 or 4 if you prepeard properly.

Most importantly, pick a style of combat and stick with it, invest training both in skill points and personal skill to get better and stay focused on it. Brawling, scram kiting and kiting all have their own nuances you need to learn, so pick one and stick with it. Over time and several dozen losses you should start to formulate a list of prey and predator. Ships and fits and all the combination of, come with their own pro's and con's and as such will have natural prey and also natural predators to what you choose to fly. Being able to decide what goes where will have a big impact on the outcome of a fight and how much fun you have. Trying to kill something that is a natural predator and loosing, will have much less impact on your own moral than just diying all the time and not know why.

This leads on to one other key things... talk to people. Everytime you lose a fight, be sure to critique the "why", there is always something you could of done dispite not seeing it during the heat and adrenaline of the battle. Be sure to make contact with your killer as well and ask them things that you might of done wrong or if your fit could be better. Most people seem rather amicable when it comes to talking about the fights they have, make the most of it and learn something.

I some what dragged on there and i'm sure there's loads more i've overlooked and missed but hopefully it can server to give you some direction. Making an overall goal and then creating more smaller goals to get there helps you stay focused and motivated. I'd strongly recommend trying to do just that. As for the fights themselves, don't take a loss to harshly. The mechanics and vast number of ships and fits makes the early stages combat hard.

An option to consider: http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/community-spotlight-open-university-of-celestial-hardships/

Perhaps you may like to investigate KarmaFleet or some other such newbro friendly 0.0 corporation?

That made me smile.

Anyway, I am incredibly appreciative of all the tips people have given me here, and I will just keep going (taking many breaks as things **** me off and I get on the verge of rage quit ). I will certainly look for a new player friendly corporation to go to (I am looking at 0UCH), as I think flying with even a small fleet of experienced players would be far less frustrating than going solo trying to figure things out (though I did get a Tristan today, so that made me pretty damn happy).

Heh.

EVE is one of those games where you are supposed to get mad.
Hell... the General Discussion and Features & Ideas sub-forums are a constant exercise in that aspect.

Check out the threads linked in my signature. They should illuminate the roads of EVE just a bit more to help you through your journey in EVE.

nvm, i didn't realize I accidentally clicked on the new citizens Q&A forums

Yes, yes ... they can be nasty. But also help keeping your frig safe from other frigs (w/o logi) on gates and stations. You definitely want to study gate gun mechanics as one of the first things if you are roaming lowsec. Especially you should memorize the fact, that gate guns only shoot when first time committing the illegal offense in sight (150km radius). So if you see somebody shooting at you and warping away, you probably should GTFO in case you don't want to fight, because if he comes back, he can shoot at you (not others) without further penalties.

I agree to all above and yes, PvP is 80% meta (e.g. finding, choosing, pinning the right target) and 20% skills.

finding a corp

There are many lowsec corps willing to take rookies. The largest being Brave Newbies Inc. Pandemic Horde and KarmaFleet are nulsec based rookie-loving corps backed by major alliances (i.e. lots of resources and organization).

It doesn't take much of a time committment. If you can logon for an hour once a month, you should be good-to-go with most corps. When in doubt, ask the recuiter. [FWIW, BNI currently has a policy of NOT doing any activity-based purging.]