Friday, December 08, 2006

An amazing Gears of War commercial

An amazing ad for the Gears of War XBOX 360 game. When I realized whom the song was from, I was a struck. I mean I grew-up listening to Tears for fear. The song, though completely at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum for such a game, actually balances out the futility of the violence -- and by that I mean the setting, not the game itself. It's a mad world after all!

Friday, December 01, 2006

EVE Fanfest 2006 Videos

Now this you're going to love. I recently found 16 videos from this year's EVE Fanfest on YouTube, and I've created a Favorites list so that I could quickly view them all and come back to them later. Here below is the full embedded version with all 16 videos.

The only issue is that YouTube won't keep them is the proper order, even though I've attempted to do so many time I've lost track. So in addition to this embedded clip, here is the link to the full list page. Enjoy!


[Edited: I've removed the embedded player since no videos were showing. You can use the link above instead.]

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Some great Kali PVP video



A very well done video with great shots and angles. I especially liked the flybys. One thing you'll notice, which I really find cheesy and can't wait until CCP fixes it, is the "twitching effect" that titans have when they get shot and take hits. I mean as if such a huge ship would behave like that! It doesn't change anything combat wise, but visually it kills the ambience. CCP, fix that bug!

What do you think?

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

We made news in the "Alliance News"

About 2 week-ends ago the alliance of which Phoenix Labs is part had a major battle with the AAA. At the time we were obligated by the executive branch of FIX to keep quiet and say nothing of it, since we we're defending an egg (the building block for a Player Owned Station - POS). Well I just read that we made the Alliance news!
QUERIOUS. Firmus Ixion (FIX) has successfully erected their first outpost in the Querious region following a short but violent conflict between alliances based in the south. Firmus Ixion was defending their latest outpost construction effort with gathered allies against a vicious attack launched by Against All Authorities (AAA) from the Catch region. (Read More)

Friday, November 24, 2006

Here comes Kali!!

On November 28th, CCP will be deploying the first of three parts of Revelations (formerly known as Kali). The expected downtime is a full 24 hours -- but I'd expect more with a update this big.

So as usual in these cases, set yourself a long long skill to prevent loss of training time in case a skills finishes while the update is still being released.


Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Amazing new graphical upgrades to EVE

Here's a great video to wet your appetite on what the pre-Kali upgrades (Revelations) to EVE will bring. If that is what CCP can still do with DX9, I can't wait to see EVE running on Vista with DX10!

Some great photos of the EVE Fanfest 2006!

Before you start hating me for having had the chance to attend this year's fanfest, let it be known that the following pictures are not from me. This lucky son of a gun had the chance of flying in to Iceland and took some great photos of the fan festival. Additionally, he took some videos and you can watch them also.

And of course, here are the official fanfest photos from CCP, courtesy of MMORPG.com.

Hopefully by this time next year I'll have my own photos and videos, and memories! I just have to plan for it, and convince my better-half that I deserve to go. This shouldn't be too hard right? I mean I did convince her to go to Vegas earlier this year. But then again, Celine Dion and O were on our agenda and last time I checked neither offer venues in Iceland. Damn!

Anyways, until that happens, I'll just have to read about it. Which reminds me, MMORPG.com has got some great articles on the fan fest, here, here, and some amazing ship comparison here.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

New Poll: which E:ON article was your favorite?

Now that we've had a chance to roam through and thoroughly read the fifth issue of E:ON, I was curious to know what was the one article that stood out for you.

Was it one of the Chronicles? Which are getting better and better with each new issue. Or was it one of the 3 guides? Or maybe the update on Darwin's Contraption?

In my case, picking one over another was quite hard, but I would say that "Confessions of a TV Junkie" is the one that sticks out for me in this issue. I guess it's the "behind-the-scenes" tidbits from Spiral Junkie that made the difference in my choice. But I do have to say the Chronicles were particularly well done; I really couldn't put down the magazine until I had finished reading one from beginning to end.

Please take the time to vote (see Current Poll on the right) and let me know your thoughts by commenting. Let me know what you think of the issues so far, what you'd like to see and read about. Now you may think that I have something to do with E:ON, but in reality I don't, except as an avid reader and someone who wants to do his part to see this magazine prosper and improve.

As such, I'll make sure all your constructive criticism and your praises get to Zapatero.

Can't wait for the next issue! Now get to that vote booth!

EVE Intergalactic Bank scam poll results

It's been a few weeks since I ran my poll on the EIB scam and the results are on par with what I would have expected. Most of you -- 51% -- believed that it was all "part of EVE Online life", with only a few -- 8% -- judging the deed "morally questionable".

On the other hand some of you -- 16% -- thought that "the player should be banned" or that at least "CCP should try to prevent these" scams from happening at all. Oh, and a quarter of you
-- 26% -- had no clue whatsoever on what the EIB scam was even though I had linked a few good articles in the post!

For those of you who would want to see my thoughts on the subject, read the comments and had yours, then head over here.

In my next poll, I'll be asking you your opinion on the latest E:ON issue.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Which games would you always reinstall?

Some of you know that I've recently updated my current gaming rig with a new 320Gig drive from Seagate (see post here for the juicy details). Having completed the install of XP and a bunch of utilities I can't live without (future post subject), came the time to start to install the games.

The first one to be installed was an easy choice: EVE Online. And don't tell me you're surprised! The second, was also a given, Guild Wars -- the first two since I don't have Nightfall yet. But then came the questions; which would I reinstall, which would be next, should I install all of them, or just the ones I play regularly.

After giving it some thought, I took most of Wednesday evening reinstalling the following games, since CCP was making some hardware upgrades, which meant that EVE was down -- duh! So without further ado, here are the games I deemed important (which means FUN) enough to take the time to reinstall.

  1. EVE Online: The Second Genesis
  2. Guild Wars (original and Factions)
  3. Homeworld 2
  4. Dungeon Siege 2
  5. Starcraft (original and Brood War)
  6. Battle Realms (original and Winter of the Wolf)
  7. Warcraft 3 (Reigns of Chaos and The Frozen Throne)
  8. Lord of the Ring: The War of the Ring
  9. Neverwinter Nights (all 3 versions)
  10. Aquanox 2
So there you have it. These are the games that I'll pretty much install every time I do a Windows reinstall. Don't get me wrong, I still spend most of my time playing EVE and Guild Wars, but I also like to come back to old games. There's nothing like a good Starcaft match against an opponent half-away around the world.

So what are the games you would reinstall? Let me know.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Video games make kids fat eh?

These days gaming is becoming every politicians scapegoat. According to them it makes kids and teenagers violent and aggressive, turns them into anti-social zombies, if it doesn't kill them by making them obese. Then how do you explain this?


Do you think this five year old will grow-up a loner with no social life and an aggressive behavior. I didn't think so either!!

Gaming is a hobby as much as reading, watching TV, studying (to some it is!), playing chess or any other type of activity. It does not prevent someone from doing sports, playing outside or other physical activities. Playing a console or PC game for 15 hours a day, is unhealthy, so is playing chess, or reading, or watching TV for the same amount of time!

Remember, everything in moderation is good for you. Well, almost everything that is!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

A 320Gb gorilla comes home

Last Tuesday I got the ok from the VP of finance (aka the wife!) to purchase a new HDD. I'd been using an old 13Gb from Fujitsu, which was the original drive in my first ever PC; an IBM PC 300 PL 6892. This goes back to 1999-2000 era, in the previous millennia!

I can hear you now, "but that must have slowed down you computer so much so!" Indeed, it did.
In my defence, I did add a few years back a second HDD, a reasonable 80Gb IDE from Maxtor. But I knew that one of my next upgrade would have to be changing the HDD with something bigger and better. And that's where the Seagate 320GB SATA2 16Mb Cache comes in. Out with the 13Gb, in with the 320Gb behemoth!

So Saturday morning, I started going over all the software I had installed and downloading all the installers I would need for the new install. Here an almost complete list of all these utilities and software. Some are common, some I wouldn't live without!

Utilities:

  • CCleaner
  • Disckeeper
  • RegistryFix
  • McAfee Security Center
  • McAfee Virus Scan
  • McAfee Firewall
  • Windows Defender
  • Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
  • SiSoftware Sandra Pro Home 2007

Web:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Opera
  • Internet Explorer 7
  • Gmail Notifier
  • Pando
  • Smart FTP Client 2
  • Windows Live Messenger

Multimedia:

  • Picassa 2
  • iTunes & Quicktime
  • Divx
  • Windows Media Player 11
  • iriver plus 2
  • Nokia PC Suite
  • Roxio Easy Media Creator
  • PlexTools
  • BOINC: Stei@Home

And of course EVE Online: The Second Genesis

There is one utility I did not have to install, which was a big help during the new drive installation, the Manage utility which can be accessed by right-clicking My Computer. This is the best little drive utility I never knew about. During the installation I noticed that Windows XP only saw 127Gb of my 320Gb (137,000 bytes that is). After checking a few things and thinking there most have been a setting I did select, or selected and shouldn't, I started to search the web for help. After googling a few searches, I came across a post on a forum which mentioned the Manage utility. After having a bit of fun with it, and setting up things right, I had a a new 320Gb drive partitioned into two and a third 80Gb drive. Now cam the installation and configuration.

I have to say, overall it went pretty smoothly and by bedtime I had most of it done.

Just for fun, I then ran the Windows Vista Upgrade utility just to see if any warnings came up. None did. I'm now Vista-Ready. Bring it on Redmond. Let's make a move to the 21st century and start to catch-up to Mac Os X.

Before you go though, I would love to know if you've got any cool and practical utilities that you use that I did not mention. Any information would be appreciated.

T'ill the next upgrade!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

EVE Online's beautiful vistas

I'm always amazed and taken aback by the beauty of EVE. This will be my desktop background for the next few days. Enjoy!

Friday, September 15, 2006

EON #005 - Table of Content




















Table of Content - EON 005
  • Page 6 --- E-ON Upfront (News)
  • 12 ---- Post Cards from the edge (Screen shots)
  • 14 ---- In Crowd: Magnus Bergsson (CCP Employee Interview)
  • 16 ---- In Character: Omber Zombie (Player Character Interview)
  • 18 ---- Chronicle: My Better Half by Tom Czerniawski
  • 20 ---- Confession of a TV Junkie
  • 24 ---- Darwin's Conception
  • 30 ---- In Character: Caytlyn Rose (Player Character Interview)
  • 32 ---- Cover Story: 200 Rounds
  • 38 ---- Terraforming EVE
  • 44 ---- Chronicle: The Dragon by Andrew Dice
  • 49 ---- In Character: Raem Civrie (Player Character Interview)
  • 50 ---- Testflight: Stealth Bombers
  • 58 ---- In Crowd: Dan Speed (CCP Employee Interview)
  • 60 ---- Insider's Guide: Missions (Player Guide)
  • 66 ---- Insider's Guide: Moon Minning (Player Guide)
  • 72 ---- Insider's Guide: CCG (Player Guide)
  • 78 ---- Teh Funnies (EVE Humour)

Friday, September 08, 2006

E-ON #005 upcoming goodies

Just received an email from MMMPublishing, publishers of EON magazine, about the upcoming 5th issue. Here the newsletter image (linky).

Seems that all subscribers will be getting a meter wide poster of Iron Tide - which I mentioned earlier in this post. The Iron Tide poster from Alex Martaza, will be on high-quality gloss paper and will be 96cm x 47cm! I can't wait to get this.

I've already told the wife that I'm getting it framed. Her first response was, "Where the heck are you going to put it?" Don't worry guys, I'll find a place to display it in all its glory.

It was also mentioned that in this issue we'll be reading about:

- Terraforming EVE (RTS anyone)
- New EVE Fiction
- EVE-TV (tournaments!!)
- How-to Guides (notice the plural)
Remember, the poster will only be available to subscribers. So either renew your subscription (like I did the minute I got my 4th issue), or start your EON subscription. Click here to do so!
P.S.: I know that the issue shown above is #004; that's because the cover the next issue isn't known yet. I'll change it once I can link to the correct cover image.
P.P.S.: Updated image with correct 5th issue cover.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Some thoughts on the EIB scam

By now, most of the EVE Online community has heard, read, discussed and argued about the EVE Intergalactic Bank scam. Having read a few posts on various blogs (here, here, and the rest here) I didn't see a need to add anything else. Pretty much everyone agreed that though the act was shameful or despicable, it was part of EVE Online. Actually I'd even go as far as saying that the fact that such in-game (and this is very important) criminal activity are allowed, shows just how complex and free EVE Online really is.

But then I read a few more article that really pissed me off. These people really didn't get it. They confused in-game and real-life (RL), as if committing a crime while in-game could have consequences in RL. Take Caroline McCarthy's article "Cons in the virtual gaming world" at News.com, or worse, James Grimmelmann's "When Virtual Banks Fail" over at LawMeme. Please go and read these two articles and comeback to read the rest of my post. C'mon go ahead, and don't worry, the links will open up in new tabs or windows.

Here's where they both fail in their thinking: CCP's EULA does not allow Real Money Trade (RMT). End of story. If you did decide to purchase some ISKs (EVE Online's currency) with your hard earned money, and you lose it in-game, then tough luck buddy. You're shit-out-of-luck! For the same reasons that Vegas casinos won't allow you to bring your own cards at a Blackjack game and slip them in or that Monopoly money for that matter in a Monopoly game with your friends, CCP does not allow RMT, because it destroy the player-run economy and skews the game.

So there you have it. The EIB scam was a disgusting operation and I can't blame the players who lost a lot of ISKs for being upset. But they knew the risks. It was all part of the game, all part of the freedom and opportunities allowed within EVE Online. And like pGSX commented over at QJ.NET "Its part of the game. It would be like suing someone you lost to at poker."

Before you go, please put your vote in and leave a comment. I'm curious to know what's your opinion, even if you don't play EVE Online.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Hi, I'm a Wii....


PS3 Vs Nintendo - video powered by Metacafe

This has got to be the funniest Apple commercial ripoff. Simply hilarious!!!

Treenara Mazouk, an introduction

Bonjour! The full name is Treenara Mazouk, Gallente to the core, live free or die! Personality wise, I think most would say that I'm a trustworthy kind of gal, who believes in the good nature of humanity. Though I'll help anyone without thinking about it twice (money always helps though), only a fool would abuse my trust. I never forget a face, especially from someone who tries to double-cross me.

I was born on Intaki, from parents originally from Duripant. Both my parents worked for the Nibaghanashi weapons conglomerate, and had moved to Intaki after being transferred there because of company orders. When mom died, dad sent me back to my grand-parents to complete my education on Duripant. After a tumultuous path, I eventually joined the Federal Naval Academy, where I completed my training as a pilot.

Since then, I've worked for several corporations and even had a run as CEO twice. These days I fly with Phoenix Propulsion Labs (PPL), as part of their military division, Phalanx.

I don't really know what the future holds, for now PPL is home, and I'm having a lot of fun, even though it's a lot of work and demands a lot of mission running.

If your nice, I may tell you a bit more about my adventures. For now, it's time to hit the shower, then go for a drink at Melvouier's, a local pub here on station here in Badivefi. The boos is lousy, but the regulars are a fun bunch.

A la prochaine!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

A really cool Eve Online video

The best EVE Online/CCP video I've seen so far. Very well done, great music and with a twist. Wish there were more of these!

EVE Online in the news

The last two weeks have been kind of quiet gaming wise. I took another summer gaming break last week while on vacation and so far I haven't had a chance to login this week. I should be able to get back into the game most likely tonight and with the wife being out tomorrow evening, that should give me a few good hours of play.

I recently came across 2 great news article on EVE, one's a re-review at MMORPG.com, and the second is an interview with none other than Nathan Richardsson, aka Oveur, at EuroGamer. The re-review is a wonderful idea and only shows the great editorial skills of the MMORPG.com staff. As they stated, MMOs are evolving beasts, and a one-time launch-time review just doesn't cut it for these types of games.

As for the interview with Oveur, it's a great short and to the point article. If you want to know what's happening in the near future with EVE Online, then you should head over and read it. In short, the interviews boils down to:

EVE Online's success is due to:

  • Small Group of Devs
  • Modular Development
What's coming-up in Kali and beyond:
  • Player Contracts
  • Combat Organization
  • Mini-Professions
  • Vista Client
  • Terraforming
  • and let's not forget, World Domination!
The future looks promising!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

101 EVE Online links

I've been using blinklist for a few months now, and I've really come to value this social bookmarking site very much. It's simple, intuitive and allows you to discover great sites that I would normally never come across.

So I've been using it to keep track on my EVE Online sites. Some of these are corporation or alliances sites, some are for used as reference, some are blogs, while others are news articles related to EVE Online.

All in all, I've got 101 sites so far. And the list keeps getting bigger.

If you know of other sites you use regularly, which are well done, and kept fairly up-to-date, than please let me know, so I can add them to the list.

Keep blinklisting!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

17 Free MMORPG Trials

If you've ever wondered what it was like to play an MMORPG (or another if you're already playing one) well now's you chance. FilePlanet has put together a collection of Massively Multiplayer Game Trials - 17 in all.

Some of these are the usual big one: World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons, Star War Galaxies, Everquest, and of course EVE Online. I might try WoW and DDO to see what they're like now and how much has changed since the BETA trials I did a few months ago. Well it only seems to be a few months ago to me.

But whatever you decide to do, if you've never played EVE Online, do yourself a favor and go through the 14-day trial! You'll be happy you've joined the greatest MMO Community in the universe.

Friday, July 28, 2006

I'm now qualified to pilot Gallente Battleships


After about a week of training the last 2 skills I needed, I now have the PPL qualifications to pilot Gallente Battleships. That's no small feat let me tell you! Just to give you an idea, this is the current list of skills that was needed to be trained to various levels.

Acceleration Control
Afterburner
Controlled Bursts
Cruise Missiles
Defender Missiles
Drone Interfacing
Drones
Electronics
Energy Grid Upgrades
Energy Management
Energy Pulse Weapons
Energy Systems Operation
Engineering
Evasive Maneuvering
FoF Missiles
Fuel Conservation
Gallente Battleship
Gallente Cruiser
Gallente Frigate
Gunnery
Heavy Drone Operation
High Speed Maneuvering

Hull Upgrades
Large Hybrid Turret
Long Range Targeting
Mechanic
Missile Launcher Operation
Motion Prediction
Navigation
Rapid Firing
Repair Systems
Science
Sharpshooter
Shield Management
Shield Operation
Shield Upgrades
Signature Analysis
Spaceship Command
Surgical Strike
Tactical Shield Manipulation
TargetingScout Drone Operation
Trajectory Analysis
Warp Drive Operation
Weapon Upgrades

It's a pretty exhaustive list as you can see, and quite a few of these skills need to be at level 4 or even 5. So there's a lot of time invested in training all these skills.

And Phoenix Propulsion Labs has a list of required skills for numerous qualification categories. Which is why I use these lists to plan my skill queue instead, and rarely use ECM or EVEMon anymore. The next qualification that I'm training is "Drone Commander" and "Long Range Ballistics Commander". For the former, I've completed the "Drone Operator" and "Drone Supervisor" qualifications, as for the later, I've completed the "Trainee Long Range Ballistics Operator", the "Long Range Ballistics Operator" and also the " Long Range Ballistics Supervisor". As you can see these are all combat oriented qualification, as I'm trying to become proficient as a Phalanx pilot.

The only thing that I can't train though is experience, that'll only come with time and practice. We'll just have to get out there and train with Phalanx Command.

Time to roll-up my sleeves and get to work. I'll let you know how things go.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Skyland Episodes 1 & 2, and lastest poll

A few weeks back, I ran a poll to know if any of you would be interested in buying the Skyland animation series if it ever came on DVD. Well it seems that quite a lot of you would, so you'll be happy to hear that the series is being released in France this fall, though there is no news on the North-American market or elsewhere. Guess we'll just have to wait for that. If you have any news on it, please let me know.

Back to the poll results now. So here are the results after running the poll over a 2 weeks period:

    • What the hell is Skyland? - 13% (2)
    • Maybe, if the price is right - 13% (2)
    • Maybe, if the rest of the series is as good - 13% (2)
    • Most likely - 13% (2)
    • Definitely - 50% (8)
Looks like this would be a hot item! I do realize that I did not have the choice to say that you would not be buying the DVD series at all. What can I say, this whole polling thing is new to me! I will next time I promise.

Finally, I've had quite a lot of emails and posts asking me where one could get the first two episodes of the series. As I mentioned in this post a few months back, Nicktoons had made available the initial two episodes. But for some reason, they removed them. Lucky for me (and you), I downloaded both back then. And so, I was able to email them using Pando to a few of you. But, the demand has been so great that it no longer is convenient for me to use that utility.

Last week I came across Box.net, a great site that offer online storage. And so over the week-end I uploaded both episodes, and you can now download them yourselves! One thing though, I've to subscribed to the service ($5/month) in order to be able to upload the episodes which are about 130Mb each. The five bucks a month gives me 5Gb of space and 20Gb of bandwidth monthly. As write this, I have no clue as to how quickly I'll go though that. We''l just have to see. So here are the two links:

Please let me know if you run into any trouble trying to download either of them. You can also drop me a comment or an email to say thanks and Hi!

Hope you enjoy!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Getting my wings to fly a Dominix


A brand new DominixFlying towards a stargateClose-upIsn't she beuatiful!
The 4 screenshots above were taken after I picked up my Dominix, which was build by our Manufacture & Production division, a few systems out from our headquarter in Badivefi. Man what a beautiful ship she is.

I've had a Dominix Blue Print Copy (BPC) for a few months now, but never actually requested that one be built. I neither had the skills ready to fly one, nor the rank to do so within my corp, PPL. But I wanted to, man did I want to.

So after joining Phalanx Division, I worked on my required skills in order to qualify for Gallente Battleships. You see, the Labs is an amazing corporation with an amazing set of people, dedicated to EVE. A stroll through our site will quickly convince you of the professionalism and dedication that's involved. And that's only part of the story. PPL members have their own dedicated website, which is used for all internal matters, including character development.

Because, in order to qualify for specific duties, you have to meet the corps minimum skill sets and level. In the case of being approved to pilot a Gallente Battleship, there are 45 skills required, at various level. Now that doesn't mean that you can't fly a Gallente Battleship if you don't have all theses skills, but in order to fly them with efficiency, you need the right skill set. And PPL's Board expects nothing else, hence, you better meet the requirements.
As most EVE pilots, I used to use EVE skill tools (EVEMon and ECM) on a daily basis in order to navigate the complexities of EVE Online's multitude of skill books. But that is no longer required. I simply look at what I'd like to do, or pilot, or control, and complete the list of skills that are required by PPL. There are qualifications for manufacturing, drones, science, Tech I and Tech II (over 30 Qualification categories in all).

In addition to Gallente Battleship training, I'm also looking to complete Drone training up to the level of a Drone Commander. But before I get there, I still have to complete my BS training, and that means training 2 more skills: Surgical Strikes and Large Hybrid Turret - the last 2 of 45 skills! I have a few days still remaining.

It's almost overwhelming to pilot such a ship for someone who has always in cruisers. How the hell do I set-up that ship? I've looked at dozens of threads on the EVE forums, trying to find the right 'Dominix set-up'. No small task, believe me.

Anyways, until I've completed those two last skill training, I'll continue flying my Vexor (with the new set-up). That should give me enough time to continue my research on the Dominix set-up, and find a good one that will match both the ship's capabilities, and my style of piloting.

I'll keep you posted, but if you've got any suggestions on a good set-up, then please post a comment to let me know.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Upgrading to a VX922 19 inch LCD

After years of nagging Stephanie about getting a new monitor to replace the old and venerable IBM G17, I finally got the ok! About a week and a half ago I brought home a Viewsonic VX922 which I got for a only $325. I say only, because since February of this year, I've had a Best Buy ad scotch-taped in my cubicle at work, and the price tag was $549. So by waiting 5 months I saved $225 for the same monitor, the same pleasure. Here it is on my desk.

Viewsonic VX922
Now if I could only change that ugly beige phone, my mind would be at ease. But Stephanie will have none of it!

Sitting down in front of that monitor for the first time, and logging into EVE Online was a memorable experience that literally brought tears to my eyes, well almost. And since then I've enjoyed bigger space vistas, bigger ships, bigger explosion all rendered in under 2ms! Can you ask for more?

So what are you looking at when you sit down to play? Let me know!

A Vexor set-up for security missions

As most you know, I've been running a lot of missions these past few weeks, both for fun (isn't that the purpose of gaming) and also as per our corporate directives to increase our standings with the Khanid.

There are quite a few ships which I'm skilled enough to pilot, but I always tend to come back to my good old Vexor. I've gone through a few of them now having lost some to missions where the darn NPC pirates had the upper hand, or (usually) through unwanted PVP. But you learn and adapt (or die). Which is a great part of the fun I find in EVE.

I don't know how many hours I've spent with my ships in stations, reading through the EVE Forums, chatting with corp mates, trying different set-ups. Some poor, some fun. In some cases I'll go for speed and maneuverability, in others for a good tanking. Don't know what tanking is? You've tanked your ship when she's able to take a beating for a long time before Armor and Structure go. So you usually load up on Armor, Shield and Hull, and hardeners (Shield or Armor).

Vexor in combat

I've recently come up with a set-up (see above) for my Vexor which seems to be working very well for my current level 3 missions. I send out my Hammerhead II drones off to a target and stay at a range of about 22 km shouting down the rats. I can take a lot of beating before my shields go down (if I recall correctly they're at 3200 points! Yes that's on a Vexor!). If any rats get close, I'll shoot them down with the
Dual 180mm Gallium Machine Guns, once they get with a good range (about 8500m).

Here's my current Vexor set-up:
High slots
2x 720mm Howitzer Artillery I
2x Dual 180mm Gallium Machine Gun
1x Micro 'Notos' Explosive Charge I

Medium slots
1x Medium Shield Extender I
1x Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
1x Shield Boost Amplifier I

Low slots
2x Type-D Power Core Modification: Reaction Control
1x Reactor Control Unit I
1x 800mm Reinforced Steel Plates I

Drones
5x Hammerheads II


Now, eventually, I'd like to come up with the right set-up for PVP, though I'm far from ready for that. Having recently joined the Phalanx Division within PPL's Military Division, I'll get there pretty soon (more on that later).

Finally, here's a screenshot of a recent mission. Lots of action eh!

Vexor in combat

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

EVE TV, what a blast!

I hope you had a chance to see some of the PVP competition that was broadcasted live on the net. Not TV per say, but close enough in my book and was damn nice to see all those CCP interviews in addition.

I must say I was really impressed with the quality and professionalism of the broadcast. But then again, this is CCP. I really hope that we will be able to download the complete broadcast (bit torrent please) since I missed most of it. What I did see though really got me into it.

Except for a few bumps here and there in the beginning, thing mostly went well.

A few gaming news site are noticing as it's being reported over at ArsTechnica, 1UP.com, VirginWorlds and Slashdot.

If you're curious, then book you calendar for this Friday through Sunday and tune in to EVE TV to watch the rest of the competition - it runs from 15:00 to 21:00 GMT.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Happy Birthday to the Escapist!

The Escapist Magazine is one year old today. Long life to this great magazine and its growing community.

When I first came upon the Escapist, I was like a kid walking into a candy store for the first time.

This was game journalism at its best - the subjects were interesting, thought provoking, controversial. I've read every issue since then and I truly feel that I'm learning something new every time I done reading an issue.

On this momentous occasion, they've revamped their look and that of the Lounge (forums) and added a login/account feature - which I quickly registered for.

I strongly encourage that you give it a good read, and browse the old issues. There a tons of great article on everything related to the gaming industry - where gaming is heading, RMT, the industry's past present and future, on EVE Online (multiple issues), on Blizzard (a recent issue was solely dedicated to the venerable developer), and much more.

Head over to the new site and enjoy!

The Escapist is published by the Themis Group.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Back after a short break

I took a 3 weeks break from EVE and from gaming in general. I was on vacation the last week of June, and then with the heat wave we got the first week of July it was too hot to play. But with the wall-mounted A/C unit that got installed last Thursday, I'm back in business.

Played a lot over the week-end, doing missions in and around Badivefi. Which is what I plan on doing once we've completed some mining ops after the 12th.

So more updates coming in the next few days. I want to rap up the current survey, update you on my current skill path (going Drone crazy), my promotion to Ensign within Phoenix Propulsion Labs the upcoming 4th issue of EON (which I should get this week), and other goodies.

Until then, fly safe and enjoy the summer!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

EON #004 - Table of Content



















Table of Content - EON 004
  • Page 6 --- E-ON Upfront (News)
  • 16 ---- Post Cards from the edge (Screen shots)
  • 18 ---- In Crowd: Kari Gunnarsson (CCP Employee Interview)
  • 20 ---- In Character: Shamis Orzoz (Player Character Interview)
  • 22 ---- Chronicles: Biomass by Fran Macjus
  • 24 ---- The History of new Eden - Part 2
  • 32 ---- In Character: Maggot (Player Character Interview)
  • 34 ---- Cover Story: Holy Trinity
  • 38 ---- Lord of the Files
  • 42 ---- Career Path
  • 47 ---- In Character: Jade Constantine (Player Character Interview)
  • 48 ---- Testflight: Interdictors (Flycatcher, Sabre, Heretic, Eris)
  • 56 ---- Chronicle: The Problem Solver by Tom Czerniawski
  • 58 ---- In Crowd: Noah Ward (CCP Employee Interview)
  • 60 ---- Insider's Guide: Piracy (Player Guide)
  • 68 ---- Insider's Guide: Attributes and Skills (Player Guide)
  • 74 ---- Teh Funnies (EVE Humour)

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Waking up in Badivefi

For the last few weeks I had been working for agents based Baratar & Gaudiyah, and had both systems almost all to myself as there were very few other pilots around. About a week or two ago I was targeted by Abbel Nightroad of Under the Wings of Fury (ticker BLEH2), but had managed to escape without a scratch. And so I made no plan to move back to Badi as my base of operation.

This proved to be a great mistake. Earlier tonight I did notice some pirates again from UWF, but they kept to themselves. After coming back from a mission I decided that the system was getting a bit too crowded and decided to head back to Badivedfi. That was my doom as I should have stayed in station and called it a night; a bit early but alive.

As I got to the gate, a few of them had followed me and that is where I met my end.

Here are the details:
Ship lost:
Victim: Treenara Mazouk
Alliance: None
Corp: Phoenix Propulsion Labs
Destroyed: Celestis
System: Baratar
Security: 0.2

Involved parties:
Name: Phelaen (laid the final blow)
Security: -10.0
Alliance: Atrocitas
Corp: Under the Wings of Fury
Ship: Absolution
Weapon: Heavy Pulse Laser II

Destroyed items:
250mm Railgun I
Medium Shield Extender I
Kinetic Deflection Amplifier I
SV-2000 Assault Missile Bay
SV-2000 Assault Missile Bay
Phalanx Rocket, Qty: 100 (Cargo)
Shield Recharger I
Hammerhead I (Drone Bay)
Hammerhead I (Drone Bay)
Antimatter Charge M, Qty: 37
Antimatter Charge M, Qty: 37

Clone lost:
Victim: Treenara Mazouk
Alliance: None
Corp: Phoenix Propulsion Labs
Destroyed: Capsule
System: Baratar
Security: 0.2

Involved parties:
Name: Phelaen (laid the final blow)
Security: -10.0
Alliance: Atrocitas
Corp: Under the Wings of Fury
Ship: Absolution
Weapon: Heavy Pulse Laser II

The clone transfer was less painful then I expected. I'm only sorry for the lost implants though.

As I still have a Vexor and some loot in Baratar, and I do plan to get it.

I've lost two ships in two nights - it's been a tough week! Now I know not to hang out in such low security systems all by myself. I'll probably ask for an escort from the Military division to get my Vexor and other assets back.

Massive Magazine is here, well almost

Massive MagazineWell it looks like Massive Magazine is indeed taking off. Got an email today from them that said:
Dear crazykinux[@]gmail.com

We are proud to announce that our latest web site featuring Massively-Multiplayer Online Games is now active. Massive-Magazine.com will feature information and news on the most popular MMOs along with media and demo links. New community forums with “Guild Talk” will enable MMO players to discuss the latest strategies and plan raids for their favorite MMOs. Due to server issues, the original user database had to be reset and requires all registered users to sign up with Massive-Magazine.com again. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. We encourage you to register with Massive-Magazine.com to take advantage of all the benefits the site has to offer. Registered users will be contacted once subscription options to the upcoming MASSIVE magazine become available.

Register now at Massive-Magazine.com

Regards,

CGOnline Staff
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really interested in the magazine. Guess will just have to wait until it actually comes out. Until then, you can always register to be notified when you'll be able to subscribe. Head over there to earn more.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Mining our own business

Last Tuesday night, my corp mates and I, had planned a mining operation and it was decided that we would be mining in a low security system to stock up on some precious minerals.

I dropped off my Vexor in Baratar, my current base of operations (got some quality security agents there), picked up an Amarrian shuttle and headed back to HQ, in Badivedfi, 17 systems away.
Once in there, I switched ships to my trusty Iteron Mark V, the Fat Mimi I, and set course for Nourbal where I would meet up with some of my corp mates. After getting there I started hauling back and forth between Nourbal and our deposit station somewhere near Nourbal, since that system has no stations.

Everything was running smoothly until we noticed a pilot who had jumped in Nourbal by himself. This guy was from the Federation of Freedom Fighters, with a low security rating. Now, be himself he would have been chop liver for our CAP, but these types of rats never travel alone. On my way out of Nourbal I noticed that on the other side of the gate, the only gate to exit Nourbal, there's was a few other of his corp mates from FoFF waiting there. Not good. Not good at all.

So we got ready in case things started to get ugly and on my way to drop the ore, I'm was getting constant feedback form my corp mates back in Nourbal, as to what the situation was. They we're not moving in yet, but by the time I had dropped the ore and started to head back to Nourbal, there was a total of 7 FoFF pilots gate camping in Kerbez. As I headed back to Nourbal everyone there was on edge and I awaited orders from our XO. Just before jumping into Keberz I stopped and waited there. It didn't take long for order to come through, we were pulling out!

I'm was given orders to "Get the ore, NOW!!" So I fired up the engine, jumped in Keberz, and headed straight to the Nourbal gate where all the FoFF fighters were waiting; except by then there was only 6 of them at the gate; one had jumped in. Thanks to some good bookmarking, I jumped into Nourbal as soon as I come out of warp at the gate. After going through our safe spots I headed towards the belt where we were mining our own business, before being rudely disturbed.

As I got there and started my approach to the containers, the pilot that had came into the system earlier, popped in the middle of the belt. Shit!! Our orders were to "Evacuate the system immediately and head back to HQ!" I picked up the ore and followed orders.

Escape from Nourbal

As we came across the gate in Keberz, we spotted all 7 of them still there, waiting to jump in Nourbal. I took the screenshot above as a souvenir. Man, I would have loved to see their faces when they saw us warping to the next gate as soon as we come out of Nourbal!!

The only casualty of this event was one of our corp mate , who had logged out while still in Nourbal. When he logged back in, the FoFF pilots were all in that belt and he was podded before he even knew what was going on.

Overall though, we did a great job, we got out safely and got the ore too! Now, we'll have to be a bit more on the look out, and will probably have to change our mining schedule so that we never mine in the same system, at the same time, on the same weekday.

But still what a night that was!

Monday, June 05, 2006

A Skyland Poll: would you buy the series if it came out on DVD?


As many of you know, besides EVE Online and Battlestar Galactica, the other interest of mine is Skyland. I've been watching the series lately and I'm really enjoying it. It's still visually very impressive, with a few moments each episodes where you just gasp at the beauty of the work done by these French artists. And except for a few weak episodes here and there (The Great Wall comes to mind), so far I like the way the series is heading.

If this keeps up, I might want to eventually buy it if it comes out on DVD. Which is the question of this week's poll. How likely are you to buy the series if it comes out on DVD? So head over to the poll to let me know. When you done, also add your comments and let me know what you think of Skyland so far.

For those of you who don't know Skyland, see my previous post here, here, here, and here. Also check my Skyland blinklist, which I keep up-to-date whenever I find a good site.

And for these same people who've never seen Skyland, here are some videos to wet your appetite:

Skyland Teaser



Skyland - The Making of



If you what to discuss the poll please feel free to use the Comments section to do so.

EVE Online Mini Poll results

After about a week on the site, I've had 42 participants respond to the "How many hours per week do you play EVE Online?" poll. And though the results are lower than I would have liked, I'd have to say that they probably still close to the overall average.

More than half of the respondents play EVE Online more than 10 hrs a week, and I would be one of them. I'm actually playing over 20 hrs a weeks, with about 2 hrs week nights and 10 hrs spread out over the week-end. That may seem a lot, but when you consider that I barely watch TV - about 6 hrs a week - then it doesn't seem so much.

If it did, Stéphanie would not let me any ways. We have a pretty busy social agenda and let me tell you, I better keep up or else! Seriously though, I tend to play late at night (after 9:00 PM), or early in the day (say 7:00 AM on the week-ends), so it rarely conflicts with anything we do.

Now that we're talking about 'when' I play, when do you? Do you play only on week nights, week-ends, whenever you can? Have you ever played an all nighter? Let me know!

As for the results of the poll, here they are:

    • I don't play EVE Online - 17% (7)
    • Less than 2 hrs - 2% (1)
    • Between 2 to 5 hrs - 10% (4)
    • Between 5 to 10 hrs - 17% (7)
    • Between 10 to 20 hrs - 36% (15)
    • Over 20 hrs - 19% (8)
However much time you're spending in EVE, enjoy every minute of it. There's always something interesting to do. It's all up to you!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Gaming: A new pair of headphones for a better gaming experience

AHS515I recently purchased a new pair of headphones in order to use TeamSpeak for mining and combat operations in EVE Online. Until then I had been using an old mike that came with my previous PC, an IBM 360 tower.

To that I had added some good quality Altec Lansing speakers, model VS4121 pictured below on the right. Suffice to say it was getting rather difficult to using that set-up, since I play almost all the time late at night, when Stephanie, my wife, if asleep. And with the office on the same floor as our bedroom, I couldn't really talk it over on TeamSpeak.

So after some quick research on a few forums and review sites, I decided to purchase the AHS515 headphones, also from Altec Lansing (pictured above on the left) - eh, I was and still am satisfied with the speakers, so I thought I'd stick with them for the headphones. And boy was I happy to have both these headphones, both for the price and the audio quality.

VS4121
Honestly, EVE has been a better gaming experience since I've used those headphones. I can hear things creeping in from the left, or the right, I can 'see' the sound as if it was 3D. It's really amazing. I did a pair of Sony headphones before, but this is nothing like the AHS515. Really glad I purchased them.

Here's an part of the conversation I had after using them for the first time:

[ 2006.06.02 01:28:40 ] Muralto > hello!
[ 2006.06.02 01:28:42 ] Malindah > Hiyas Tree!
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:04 ] Treenara Mazouk > wow, am listening to EVE using my new headphones
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:09 ] Treenara Mazouk > SCARY SHIT!!!
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:19 ] Treenara Mazouk > never heard EVE like this before!
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:33 ] Malindah > haahaa!
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:41 ] Treenara Mazouk > seriously very cool
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:43 ] Muralto > hehe i've played mainly with headphones
[ 2006.06.02 01:29:52 ] Treenara Mazouk > i had some
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:03 ] Treenara Mazouk > but it NEVER sounded like this before
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:26 ] Treenara Mazouk > it's as if I had wax in my ears
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:33 ] Treenara Mazouk > and just had them cleaned
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:41 ] Malindah > good headphones really make all the difference :)
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:45 ] Treenara Mazouk > not that that's what I did...
[ 2006.06.02 01:30:49 ] Treenara Mazouk > sure do!
[ 2006.06.02 01:33:51 ] Treenara Mazouk > .....man, this music is SCARY stufff.....
[ 2006.06.02 01:34:00 ] Treenara Mazouk > oO
[ 2006.06.02 01:34:28 ] Muralto > what were you listening with before?
[ 2006.06.02 01:34:57 ] Treenara Mazouk > Altec Lansing speakers w/ sub
[ 2006.06.02 01:35:28 ] Treenara Mazouk > now its still Altec but their AHS-515 headphones with mic
[ 2006.06.02 01:35:30 ] Muralto > that doesnt sound that bad..i thought you were using tin cans from the way you described the headphones 8)
[ 2006.06.02 01:36:02 ] Treenara Mazouk > no, but i did use Sony headphones once in a while
[ 2006.06.02 01:36:24 ] Treenara Mazouk > and diff between the 2 h/p is quite dramatic
[ 2006.06.02 01:36:54 ] Muralto > hmm..i'm using an old pair of sony's myself...big honking ones tho, the older full size ones
[ 2006.06.02 01:37:21 ] Treenara Mazouk > oh, I'm being summoned by the better-half, brb

If you're looking for a good pair of headphones, with great audio quality, then I recommend getting the AHS515 form Altec Lansing.

Gadgets: My iriver u10, iriverter and freedom

I've been using my u10 almost daily (week days that is) since getting it as a gift last November at Max 2005. I'm really pleased with it; it's small, has a great interface, and the D-click navigation is really sweet to use. All in all, a great little portable player.

The only thing I had had difficulty with was loading video onto it. I could not find any utility that would allow me to convert videos to view on the u10. Then I came across the iriverter, a nifty utility that was still in early development but that could convert videos for a bunch of iriver players, including the u10.

I though I had found 'the' tool, but my enthusiasm quickly died when the videos I had converted using the iriverter could not play on the u10. I was back to square one.

That was a few months ago, and a version back. The latest version of the iriverter (version 0.16) works very nicely with the u10. I was able to convert DVDs and a few QuickTime movies, and successfully play them on the u10. I'm still having some problem converting .wmv files, but that will probably be fixed in the next versions. I now have 3 episodes of Skyland to watch and a few EVE Online trailer I'll be able to show around.

I'm quite happy about it and can't wait for tomorrow's commute to work!

Here are a few useful links:

Saturday, June 03, 2006

EVE Online Mini Poll closing by end of this week-end

I recently added a mini poll feature to my blog, just for the fun of learning about the yours habits and preferences. I'll have them once in awhile mostly on EVE Online, but sometimes on other subjects like gaming, building a gaming rig, console gaming, gadgets, anime, Skyland, and the list goes on.

It's a very interactive way of learning what others thing and feel. I'll to add a comment post to new polls so that we can discuss the questions as the polling happens.

If this really goes well, I'd like to get those darn pop-up ads removed and do the same for the ads in the poll results. But the costs aren't worth that yet. We'll just have to see.

While I have you're attention, if there's anything in particular that you're interested in knowing about EVE or other subjects I've covered so far, please let me know in a comment.

I'm always happy getting feedback!

Friday, June 02, 2006

Dating service for the EVE Online MMORPG universe

EVE OnlineAt first, I laughed my ass off when I came across this on a post at Wondrous Inventions (courtesy of Wizzel Cogcarrier Wizzleton IV), but there it was, a dating website for EVE Online players called EVE Dating. After speaking with my wife about it (who doesn't play EVE Online, nor any other MMORPG for that matter), we realized that it wasn't so "nerdy-looser-can't-get-a-girlfriend" and made kind of sense.
I mean, why not? With 125,000 active players, even if just 10% of them are women, that's still over 10,000 potential matches for EVE male players. And who better to date then someone who already understands the MMORPG scene as girlfriend.

I'm already very happily married (yes that does exist), but if I was single, I do believe I would register and try to find a better-half. At least you'd have the chance to find a new corp mate that smells better than you!

This begs the questions, "Would you use EVE Dating to find your soulmate"?

Let me know!

Monday, May 29, 2006

Combat missions over the last few days

I've been having a lot of fun over the last week or so, running missions for various agents. I first started doing missions for a level 1 agent in Kihtaled and then decided to go back to a level 2 agent I had started working with in Baratar some 14 systems away. The missions are a bit more challenging and bring in better rewards/standing/loyalty points. The screenshots below were taken over the week.


vexor in combatvexor in combatpirate explosiondrones heading towards trouble

I plan to do some more missions tonight, since Tuesday night we'll be mining in a low security systems for some rare ores and I'll be hauling that cargo back to home base in Fat Mimi I, my trusty Galletean Iteron Mark V.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

An amazing EVE Online wallpaper from Meritus

Since finding this amazing wallpaper image in early May, I've used it as such both at home and at work. "The Iron Tide" is a 30" wide work of art depecting a huge EVE Online battle. This is the work of Meritus (aka Murtaza), and he does deserve all the merit (pun intended) for this beuatiful rendition of EVE warfare.



[UPDATE 18/04/2008] Thanks to an anonymous reader who pointed out that the above links - which I removed - were dead. Here's the link to the full size image. I've also got a downloaded version, so if this link ever dies on us I can email it to you.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Gaming: Getting ready for next year

I've been trying to keep myself abreast of the latest Vista news, making sure I stay on top of things so that I don't get a nasty surprise when the time comes to upgrade.

The main reason for me to upgrade will be the new Trinity II graphics engine for EVE Online. Hell it might even be the only reason. I really don't give a monkey's ass about the 'look' of Vista - I currently run Windows XP with the bare minimum graphics fluff (the Windows 2000 look). Not that I don't have the hardware for it (1Gb of RAM, Radeon 9500 Pro 128Mb), but I prefer to keep things lean and fast. I like things to look good in EVE, not in Windows.

And so, I keep looking for information, advice, tips and all in knowing if I'll need to upgrade any parts of my current PC in order to run Vista and its new graphics engine - again, the only reason is for the new EVE graphics engine (check this flickr slideshow and you'll understand why). This morning I came across this news article of at GameSpot that has a load of goodies. Here you'll find links to the Microsoft Vista Home and to the Get Ready beta utility with which you'll be able to see if you can run Vista when it comes out or if you'll need to upgrade anything. In my case, I'll have to change my main (master) hard drive - a very old (2000) yet very sturdy and reliable Fujitsu HDD.

While you're at it, head over to these previous posts to learn about Windows Vista:
"Gaming: Windows Vista review on Gamespot" - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4. I also suggest you take a look at my growing Windows Vista blinklist, with which I keep track of everything related.

Friday, May 26, 2006

A new EVE Online video

I'm always amazed at the quality of the official EVE Online trailers from CCP. "No Other Destiny", their latest trailer, is no different. It's simply stunning, both visually and musically. The music, by Black Sun Empire (Netherlands), is a perfect fit for the action sequence.



Get the actual trailer on EVE Online's site, here.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Running more missions in Khanid Kingdom

Spent the better part of last evening running missions in Kihtaled, in the Khanid Kingdom. I've got to seriously get going on this, since we need to get our corporation standing up to 4.0. The higher it is the more efficient and cost effective we can be at manufacturing, which is the purpose of PPL.

Here a few good screenshots from last night. I should have a lot more done by Friday evening, since Stephanie is out of town on business.





Monday, May 22, 2006

CrazyKinux's Musing: a major overhaul

Well I finally got to it - redesigned this blog to look exactly like I always wanted. I used PsycHo to generate a template and then spent a lot of time, tweaking the look and feel and importing the various links, and items from my old template to the new one.

It works almost as I want it to look like. Except in IE6.0 that is. For some god forsaken reason, the 3rd column start at the end of the main section. This happens only in IE. In Firefox, it's fine - it looks great. If anyone knows why and can help me fix this, I would greatly appreciate the help. And if anyone viewing this site with Opera, Safari or IE7.0, I would also be thankful if you told me if all three columns start are the top.

In the meantime, use Firefox (which is my default browser anyway) to view the site at it's best.

I've got a bunch of posts, ready to be published. I'll be back to my regular daily posts soon.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Movie: CGI test of Optimus Prime



Here's a cool clip of a CGI test of Optimus Prime transforming. The clip can be found at blackfilm.com along with some nice artwork.

This is the work of JJ from 3D Blasphemy, and you have to give to the guy, it looks amazing. I only wish this was actual Transformer movie material.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Two new Titan videos

Found two new interesting videos of Titans on YouTube. They're a bit choppy, but still neat to see and it gives us a glimpse of things to come.





Friday, May 05, 2006

Been busy lately...

Spring. Time of the year where life emerges from the dark and cold places it's been hiding all winter long. The time where terraces re-open on the sunny side of streets, where beer starts to flow more freely, and where people start to do stuff outside in the open for a change.

In these times, my PC, gaming buddy for the last few months, doesn't see as much action. It stays in standby mode longer then usual, its fan keep quiet for whole evenings at a time and it just doesn't get the respect it deserves.

But do not worry. Things will settle down and rain will cool this spring fever soon enough. Next thing you know, I'll be back to my ol'tricks, gettting a tan from my CRT.

See you soon!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

An amazing Caldari Titan video

Found this great short video today of a Caldari Titan being attacked. The video was posted by konkenkensuke but that's all I know. I'd really love to get some detail background on it! If I ever get any additional details, I'll post them. For now, enjoy this clip.

Friday, April 21, 2006

EON issue #003 and me!

So as you know I subscribe to EON, the Official EVE Online Magazine. I received the 3rd issue earlier this week and started devouring it immediately. What a surprise I got when I came upon the EVE Gathering 2006 article (pages 10-11), a picture of my wife and I having dinner with the devs (Oveur, TomB and LeMonde)!! That's us in the middle picture (bottom) sitting our that table, all smiles.

(Page 11 of the 3rd issue of EON magazine)

This brought back great memories of the event, and of Vegas. What a town! I can't wait until next year's EVE Gathering.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

EVE Online: Mining over the last few days

This week we got orders to mine as many belts as possible, until but crumbs of Velspar remain. Here's a shot of our little operations, followed by to short clips I took earlier this week using FRAPS. A nifty little screen and video capture utility I'll be getting soon. (The trial version only lets you take 30 second clips).

Those are 2 Retrievers hammering at every rock in that belt!


The next 2 clips show 3 Retrievers and one Caldari hauler hauling the ore back to the station. With this set-up, we're usually able to clear an asteriod field in an evening.