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!