EVE Alliance Tournament Discussion

it has happened to us yes

can't remember the alt, it was in ATX

Just because it gives you a way to help your team, and even if it's something that takes some effort to do, doesn't mean it's a good thing overall.

Having to evade spying makes practicing vastly more difficult and time consuming, and not in an interesting way. It ruins the fun for key people arranging the practices. I can tell you that DarkSide almost didn't run a team for AT9 because Creamster was sick of all the overhead required to run practices (avoiding spying, but also sisi uptime, availability of modules etc.), and would rather just play the game on TQ for fun.

Having a secure location to practice would make participating in tournaments a much more attractive and fun proposition.

I did pvp for the first three years I played Eve, then got tired of that, bio-massed my -10 toons then moved to high sec. In those days, there was no way to move characters between players without breaking the EULA. As now, there was no account selling allowed and there was no character bazaar. I saw guys doing it on Ebay, but I'm not big on being a rule breaker.

I've played just about every part of Eve and watched player run ventures come and go, and usually go fast with a lot of players ISK. When I first heard about Blink, it was actually Spaceship Barbie bragging about how she had it figured out and won every time, so I thought it must be something she had an interest in and figured I'd see it fold soon as had so many before. After a year, some friends were talking about Blink and we kicked it around some. I've never gambled, except for playing some poker for money when I first went into the US Army in the '60s, but I found that winning money from buddies cost me more in buddies than the pittance of money I won. I have never dropped a coin in a slot machine, bought a state lottery ticket, or tossed a dime at a plate in a county fair.

I am a stats guy. I understand the theory of probably. I've taught stats at the master's and undergraduate level and I taught stats in the most advanced officer professional development courses the US Army offers.

When I heard the experiences my friends were having with Blink, and these are friends I've known since way before Eve was an idea on a cocktail napkin and way before I retired from the Army, so what I hear from these guys means a lot to me. I have and would again trust them with my life. I set out to uncover the scam of blink and reveal it to my friends, who give me more than a little crap about looking at stats in a friendly way. I began playing modestly so I could get used to what it was like and see how the rules were enforced and was looking for the chink one can always find in poorly made armor. The fact they offer awards for achievements was not lost on this old soldier, either.

Time passed, I researched Random.org, the third party website from which they query once all tickets in one lottery are sold. Random.org was not new to me as I had used them in the past to generate values within specific ranges for class room and exam purposes, but I know things change so I wanted to be sure they were as reliable as I had known them to be. I found they are now providing Instant random numbers for some foreign state run lotteries.

This is the point when a student usually raises their hand to challenge the term "random number". In an effort to be parsimonious yet informative, I will let you research the difference between random number generators driven by computers and true random numbers. WWW.Random.org discusses this in detail without being too technological. The real truth about using computer based random number generators is when will the algorithm used to create the numbers begin to repeat itself. I can tell you the US Department of Defense, which uses random alpha-numerics in thousands of ways for everything from nuclear launch codes to radio frequency call signs used in elements as small as squads. Great volumes of these random numbers are generated as most are only valid for 24 hours and many for only minutes. The best computer based random number generators around when I retired in 1997 were still under review to find one complete pattern and were mildly estimated to take more than 10 years with either 20% or 50% more volume of queries than existed at that time to complete one pattern, before beginning a second pattern. The bad news was the computing strength available at that time would likely take more a few more years to determine a pattern had actually been established.

Random.org does not use a computer based random number generator. It uses a method which has no pattern and relies on atmospheric sound frequencies at such a minute range of granularity, that no one who understands the process is willing to offer that a chance of predictability may exist. Will it produce the same winning number five times in a row? Of course, if not, it would not be random. Will it do that very often? Probably not, but the term "often" in this regard, is vague.

Because Blink's software sends a request for a number within a range at the instant the last ticket is purchased, the winning number will be different if the last ticket were purchased much less than one second earlier or later.

I have never found any indication of a scam since I began to observe them on 3 April of this year. Have I lost? Undoubtedly, I have lost more than won, which is immaterial to me as this has been statistical exercise - plus I have met a number of wonderful people. Cinderella and Bigbird are not there and a number of unsavory types flow through the chat and forums displaying their lack of understanding occasionally. Can I win if I want to? Absolutely, but only when lady luck shines on me - If losing - I quit, fast.

Could it be a scam? Absolutely. But as they tell everyone, if you don't feel you can trust the process, then it is not for you and don't play it. Do I think it is a scam? No. Am I affiliated with them in any way other than as one who has an account? No.

Did anyone notice how this act of generosity became public? Blink didn't publish it. Does anyone know of the many other ways Blink has contributed to the community with no strings attached? Did you know that Blink players can have a code which a new player can use signing up so both players receive a small amount of ISK, not enough to buy a fraction of a ticket, but Blink will not allow a member to spam every chat, or even mention it once in a chat or on a forum? (It's not in my bio.)

Good luck in the game and in blink if you think you will enjoy it, and good luck in the tournament.