Monday, August 15, 2011

All good things must eventually come to an end...



As most of you know by now, I recently made a move into the video games industry as Director of Business Development for Behaviour Interactive. It's been a long time coming, and the privilege comes with lots of challenges. It's something I've been gearing up for for quite some time now. I'm a gamer at heart, and to have the opportunity to participate in the industry is quite exciting.

But with this new challenge ahead of me I've come to realize that some of the things I've enjoyed in the past must come to an end. Working for a developer and blogging/podcasting about another's work is somewhat a conflicting situation. I've been part of the EVE Blogging Community from its infancy and I've had the chance to participate in a number of podcasts with other capsuleer. This history and the people that were part of it (the good and the bad) is something I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

And so this will be my last post. Though I will keep the blog up and available to all, don't expect me to write anything new beyond this post. And don't expect to see much of @CrazyKinux for that matter too.

What about the EVE Blog Banter and the EVE Blog Pack? Who's going to keep their flame going? I've had quite some time to think about this. If you've read the previous post, you knew that initially I  was looking for someone to host both of these. And though I had quite a number of DM me or email me with offers, I came to realize that this might not be the best way to continue these 2 initiatives.

They need to be set free.

That's right. I won't do a thing. I realized that had I given the responsibility to either the Pack, the Banter or both to anyone, someone else (or even a group of you) might have seen this as preferential treatment. And to be honest, I'm no longer the best judge to know who should be taking over.

I'm letting the Community decide. I'm letting you pick up the Pack where I left off.

If you've got the fire, the passion to make your own Pack, then go ahead and do it. The same goes for the Banter. That's really all that it needs. Someone with the passion, dedication and enthusiasm to make things happen.

C'mon, I know you're itching to do it!


In the End

So this is it. What an adventure this has been! What amazing people I've had a chance to meet, both virtually and face-to-face, while writing, blogging and talking about EVE in particular and gaming in general.

I've become friends with quite a few of you and am happy knowing we'll still keep in touch through Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Some of you I'll get a chance to see at industry events, while others I'll be keeping in touch virtually, as I have for so many years!

Now I'll have time to play the darn game and read your blogs! Anyway that's the idea!

For those of you who want to keep in touch and were following me via @CrazyKinux on Twitter, know that I am no longer using that handle. Follow me at @SocialDave and I'll do same.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The EVE Blog Pack & Banters are looking for a new home. Are you up for it?


Earlier this week I tweeted that I was looking for someone to take over the maintenance of both the EVE Blog Pack and the EVE Blog Banters. At this point in time I'm looking to enjoy the game more then to promote the EVE Blogging Community. Something I've not been much of these passed few months, despite trying!

Indeed, over the last 3 years the Community has become a healthy vibrant landscape of EVE Online blogs and Twitter personalities, far beyond what I could have ever imagined. And now it's time to hand over these two very special initiatives to someone (or group) who will give the care and nurturing needed. That might sound very "paternal", but when you've poured your heart and soul into something, it almost feels as is they're alive.

But let me reassure you, I'm no leaving the EVE community, au contraire! Being less involved in maintaining the Banters and Pack will free me to focus on playing the game, and even dare I say blog about it. There are of course other circumstances that have forced me to come to this decision. I've recently accepted a position within the gaming industry, and to prevent any conflict of interest with my new employer, I'd rather have someone else take over the role of caretaker for the Banters and Pack. At this point, I can't say more about this new opportunity, but you'll get to learn more in a few weeks. And no, it's not CCP! :p

So, who's up for it? Who's got the passion, the time and the guts to take this role? I don't yet know how we'll make the transition, but we'll figure something out!

Please use the comments below to put forth your candidacy and offers. Let's have a healthy, friendly discussion!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Meet Tzaaraek Menroo. Pirate-wannabe! [Skill Queue]

Name: Tzaaraek Menroo
{EAV_BLOG_VER:9c6d85d1119dfecd}
Male - Minmatar - Brutor - Slaved Child
Corp: Cosmic Encounter
In: 22 - Per: 26 - Ch: 17 - Will: 17 - Mem: 17

It's been a while since I've been looking at getting into piracy. Hell, reading all these stories got my blood flowing. A chance encounter during the EVE Fanfest put me in touch with a few Montrealers who suggested that piracy was the perfect play-style for someone like me with only shorts amount of play-time here and there. After a few lunch meetings with @maulos, he convinced me to join them. And so Tzaaraek was born.

The following list is the Skill Books I've got lined up for training - most of which I still need to acquire. Then it'll off to join my fellow buckaneers of Cosmic Encounter and let the fun begin.

In the mean time, your input and suggestions on my training, the ships I should look into and anything that would be helpful to a new pirate is welcome!

1. Warp Drive Operation I (7 minutes, 8 seconds)
2. Missile Launcher Operation I (7 minutes, 14 seconds)
3. Energy Systems Operation I (8 minutes, 11 seconds)
4. Shield Operation III (10 minutes, 49 seconds)
5. Destroyers I (14 minutes, 29 seconds)
6. Weapon Upgrades I (14 minutes, 29 seconds)
7. Energy Grid Upgrades I (16 minutes, 23 seconds)
8. Long Range Targeting I (16 minutes, 23 seconds)
9. Shield Upgrades I (16 minutes, 23 seconds)
10. Medium Projectile Turret I (21 minutes, 44 seconds)
11. Propulsion Jamming I (24 minutes, 35 seconds)
12. Shield Management I (24 minutes, 35 seconds)
13. Energy Management I (24 minutes, 35 seconds)
14. Minmatar Industrial I (28 minutes, 59 seconds)
15. Tactical Shield Manipulation I (32 minutes, 47 seconds)
16. High Speed Maneuvering I (35 minutes, 42 seconds)
17. Warp Drive Operation II (33 minutes, 17 seconds)
18. Missile Launcher Operation II (33 minutes, 46 seconds)
19. Target Navigation Prediction I (14 minutes, 29 seconds)
20. Energy Systems Operation II (38 minutes, 11 seconds)
21. Target Navigation Prediction II (1 hour, 7 minutes, 30 seconds)
22. Energy Grid Upgrades II (1 hour, 16 minutes, 21 seconds)
23. Shield Upgrades II (1 hour, 16 minutes, 21 seconds)
24. Medium Projectile Turret II (1 hour, 41 minutes, 14 seconds)
25. Shield Management II (1 hour, 54 minutes, 31 seconds)
26. Energy Management II (1 hour, 54 minutes, 31 seconds)
27. Tactical Shield Manipulation II (2 hours, 32 minutes, 41 seconds)
28. Warp Drive Operation III (3 hours, 8 minutes, 8 seconds)
29. Energy Systems Operation III (3 hours, 35 minutes, 54 seconds)
30. Target Navigation Prediction III (6 hours, 21 minutes, 46 seconds)
31. Shield Upgrades III (7 hours, 11 minutes, 50 seconds)
32. Energy Grid Upgrades III (7 hours, 11 minutes, 50 seconds)
33. Medium Projectile Turret III (9 hours, 32 minutes, 40 seconds)
34. Shield Management III (10 hours, 47 minutes, 46 seconds)
35. Energy Management III (10 hours, 47 minutes, 46 seconds)
36. Tactical Shield Manipulation III (14 hours, 23 minutes, 42 seconds)
37. Spaceship Command IV (17 hours, 59 minutes, 51 seconds)
38. Battlecruisers I (43 minutes, 28 seconds)
39. Battlecruisers II (3 hours, 22 minutes, 29 seconds)
40. Electronics IV (20 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds)
41. Cloaking I (49 minutes, 10 seconds)
42. Shield Operation IV (20 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds)
43. Warp Drive Operation IV (17 hours, 44 minutes, 25 seconds)
44. Energy Systems Operation IV (20 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds)
45. Minmatar Frigate IV (1 day, 11 hours, 59 minutes, 42 seconds)
46. Minmatar Cruiser I (36 minutes, 13 seconds)
47. Minmatar Cruiser II (2 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds)
48. Minmatar Cruiser III (15 hours, 54 minutes, 26 seconds)
49. Shield Upgrades IV (1 day, 16 hours, 42 minutes, 57 seconds)
50. Energy Grid Upgrades IV (1 day, 16 hours, 42 minutes, 57 seconds)
51. Shield Management IV (2 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes, 25 seconds)
52. Energy Management IV (2 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes, 25 seconds)
53. Tactical Shield Manipulation IV (3 days, 9 hours, 25 minutes, 54 seconds)
54. Electronics V (4 days, 19 hours, 9 minutes, 40 seconds)
55. Cynosural Field Theory I (40 minutes, 59 seconds)
56. Cynosural Field Theory II (3 hours, 10 minutes, 53 seconds)
57. Cynosural Field Theory III (17 hours, 59 minutes, 36 seconds)

TOTAL: 57 skills; Total time: 27 days, 22 hours, 53 minutes, 42 seconds

Friday Video: An introduction to Captain's Quarters

With the recent dev post from CCP Zulu about the up coming Captain's Quarters, it looks like we're going to get our first glimpse and opportunity to interact with CCP Games' Incarna. As such, the below video gets the nod for the "Friday Video".


Friday, May 20, 2011

The Lucky Winners of the 26th EVE Blog Banter Contest!


After an unwarranted and totally inapropriate long wait, here are the 3 randomly chosen winners of the latest EVE Blog Banter. Each will be getting some of the Fanfest swag I brought back from EVE Fanfest 2011.

And the winners are:
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to all of you who participated in this latest EVE Blog Banter!

As for the prizes, that'll have to wait until I can dig them out of the CKave and randomly sort through them. I promise to post a picture of what I'll be mailing to you soon(tm)!

Cheers!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Access Denied. You No Longer Have the Necessary Privileges.


What the...?

Let's try that again... username... password... ..,hit the login button.

//... ACCESS DENIED. YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE NECESSARY PRIVILEGES TO WRITE ON THIS BLOG.

What the fuck! No longer access? But, but this is MY blog!

Again... username... password... ..,hit the login button.

//... ACCESS DENIED. YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE NECESSARY PRIVILEGES TO WRITE ON THIS BLOG. YOU STOPPED BLOGGING. YOU NO LONGER GET ACCESS TO IT. GET LOST!

What? Did I just read that right? Blogger no longer giving me access to my own blog?

//... THAT'S RIGHT. GET OVER IT DOROTHY. AND GET THE HELL BACK TO KANSAS!

Ah, I get it, I'm dreaming right?

//... BINGO EINSTEIN. BUT THERE IS A POINT TO THIS DREAM.

There is?

//... YESSEREE BOB. DID YOU CHECK THE DATE OF YOUR LAST POST? DID YOU READ WHAT YOU HAD PROMISED YOUR FOLLOWERS. D'YOU THINK WE DON'T ALSO MONITOR YOUR TWITTER FEED?

You do? Who are you by the way? Who the hell are you to come into my dream and take control?

WE'RE YOUR BLOGGING CONSCIENCE. AND WE'RE TIRED OF THE NEGLECT YOU'VE GIVEN THIS FINE BLOG. IT'S SHAMEFUL. IT'S A MESS.

It is? Wait, my "Blogging Conscience". And you're telling me I can't blog anymore?

//... NOT REALLY. YOU COULD, IF YOU PROMISED NEVER AGAIN TO LEAVE THEM FINE FOLKS WHO'VE SUPPORTED YOU ALL THIS TIME, AND ARE LEFT TO DRY WHEN YOU STOPPED BLOGGING.

I kinda did, didn't I.

//... YOU BET'YA ROMEO!

So what do I need to do then? Just start blogging again?

//... THAT'S A START. BUT YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO DO MORE. YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO BE CONSISTENT. AND BLOG ON A REGULAR BASIS LIKE YOU DID BEFORE. IF YOU PROMISE TO DO THAT, WE'LL LET IT GO THIS TIME.

That's it. Just blog again like I did in the past? Then I'm going to need better planning if I'm to blog on a daily basis. Hell, I might even need to go back to the gym to....

//... WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT DAMN DETAILS. JUST GET OUT OF THE RABBIT WHOLE YOU'VE PUT YOURSELF IN AND WE'LL CALL IT A DAY. THOUGH YOU STILL OWE US AN EXPLANATION FOR THE SORRY STATE OF THAT PODCAST OF YOURS. BUT WE'LL COVER THAT ANOTHER TIME.

//... CONSIDER YOURSELF A LUCKY BLOGGER.

I will.... now for that next post about those Banter winners.....

Friday, April 29, 2011

EVE Blog Banter #26: Beyond nebulas and shiny ships


Welcome to the twenty-sixth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month's topic was proposed by @KatiaSae of the much praised "To Boldly Go" blog. Katia asks: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As an astrophotographer, I've found it in the stars and planets of New Eden. Where have you found it? Perhaps you've found beauty in the ships we fly? Maybe it's the sight of profits being added to your bottom line? Or maybe it's the pilot portraits you see in the comm channels? Where ever you've found it, write about it and post an image." Don't be afraid go beyond the simple visual aspects of EVE as well. Is the EVE Community in itself a thing of beauty? What makes EVE the game, the world, the Community, so appealing to you?
EVE looks stunning. It always has, and if the last decade hints to what we can expect in the future, it most likely will continue. Ask a friend, one who's never played an MMO to take a look at a few of your screenshots, and the likely reaction that you're likely to hear is "That's a game?". Followed by "That's the game you play?". Ever since I laid eyes on the universe created by CCP, I knew that this was something different. Way different then anything I had seen before. And this still holds true today.

I still remember being blown away by the trailer that was done to showcase the new Trinity II graphic engine, when all the ships got a visual upgrade. That video still gives me goose bumps.






And yet, the real beauty of EVE to me is beyond the visual aspects of this unique MMO. What really stands out when it comes to EVE is its Community and how supportive we are to one another. Though the universe created by CCP is one of the most hardcore MMO out there, the individuals that are part of it, those that make the Community what it is, the bloggers, podcasters, members of the Tweetfeet, have shown again and again to be one of the best asset of the game. It's the Secret Weapon by which EVE invades the minds of those new to this universe.

The Beauty of EVE lies within its Community.

List of Participants:
  1. CrazyKinux's Musing: Beyond nebulas and shiny ships
  2. Freedom: the beauty in EvE » A Mule In EvE
  3. Achernar: The bike and the barbecue
  4. where the frack is my ship?: Blog Banter 26: Love at first sight
  5. BlogBanter 26: EVE … beautiful … « One capsuleer against all
  6. Blog Banter 26 « Mad Haberdashers
  7. Blog Banter 26: Beauty of EVE – To Boldly Go To Boldly Go
  8. Down By Law: Blog Banter #26: "The Beauty of EVE" (OOC)
  9. Blog Banter #26 – Beauty « Roc's Ramblings
  10. Banter #26: Beauty is in the eye of the markets | Diary of a Garbageman
  11. Progression's Horizon: Blog Banter 26- Carry It With Us, Or We Find It Not
  12. Blog Banter 26: The Beauty of Eve « A Scientist's Life in Eve
  13. Freebooted: BB26: The Beauty Between the Lines
  14. Eve Opportunist: EBB #26 : Beauty is destruction.
  15. Blog banter #26: EVE shines, and not just visually « Diary of a Pod Pilot
  16. Blog Banter 26: Everybody is Pretty - Learning to Fly
  17. BB26: Beauty, in certain conditions | A Missioneer in Eve
  18. Dying in Lowsec (One Hauler at a time)
  19. EVE Blog Banter #26 – Beauty « Evehermit's Blog
  20. EVE A to Z: The Beauty of EVE
  21. Blog Banter 26: Beauty In A Bottle « A Lush In Space
  22. EVEOGANDA: Blog Banter 26: The Ballet of Battle
  23. BB26: Sometimes the sum of the parts … | Morphisat's Blog
  24. The 26th EVE Blog Banter - TOPIC: The Beauty of EVE - The Phoenix Diaries
  25. And Knowing is Half the Battle: BlogBanter#26 The Real Beauty of EVE
  26. The Beauty of EVE | Miner's Blues
  27. The Beauty of EvE | Aggressive Logistics
  28. Blog Banter 26: The Beauty of EVE - Random Posts from Auga
  29. The Beauty that is EVE Online « Lost in New Eden
  30. Eve Blog Banter 26: Quit gettin' mad about video games | Spaceholder
  31. Beauty in the mind’s eye « La vie d'une capsuliere
  32. Omnis Arcanum of EVE: Blog Banter 26:EVE a beautiful place? You must be kidding me.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The greatest EVE Online Manual now available in meatspace!


Stop using that printer at work over your lunch break to print the ISK Guide in 50-pages chunks. Instead, order the new printed version from MMM Publishing. Do it before April 14th pre-order deadline and save 5$. Here are additional details:
As most of you know, we released the ISK 3.0 Guide in February as a free download – to huge critical acclaim. [ISK = Industrial-Sized Knowledgebase]. This is the exhaustive manual, which EVE has been crying out for since 2003!
Since the release of that free PDF edition, we’ve been inundated with requests for a printed version, a physical product you can hold, pick up and refer to either AFK or while playing the game. We’ve listened, and we’ve responded.
So here it is; ISK Volume 1 as a physical product is now available to pre-order. This monumental near 400 page wiro-bound volume covers everything there is to know about EVE – whether you’re on a 14-day trail account or you’re an experienced long-termer. As a special offer for the early birds among you, there’s even a $5 discount for all pre-orders; in order to receive the discount you MUST apply the code ISK305. If you don’t see the discount being applied immediately, check again before completing your order.
The pre-order period (and therefore the $5 discount) lasts until April 14th. Click here and we’ll take you right along to the Store…
Now hurry-up and pre-order it. You know you want to!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

EVE Fanfest 2011 Trailer: "EVE - A Future Vision"

This latest video from CCP was shown at the "CCP Presents" keynote to a standing ovation. It was shown a second time after everyone got up a second and shouted: FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH! at Hilmar's request! His request to the capsuleers, whether at Fanfest or watching it via the stream: "Please Help us spread the word about EVE!".

WARNING: This video kicks ass!!!


Told you so! So go ahead, put it up on Facebook, then call your grandma to tell her about it!

EVE Fanfest 2011: An Experience Like No Other


The Fanfest 2011 has been in full swing for the last few days and though my first experience here, back in 2008, was memorable, this year's Fanfest is something beyond my expectations. No, I'm not talking about the CCP panels, round tables and awesome content and announcements that have been made over the last 2 days, or later today - looking forward to the CCP Presents keynote.

In this picture: Roc Wieler (by himself, of course!) Back row: Boris Hotch, Manasi, Song LiGigaerPrano,
Mandrill, DavidKMagnus. Front row: Quivering Palms, Seismic Stan & Luminous Aardokay
What makes this particular Fanfest special for me, as opposed to the previous, is meeting all these amazing people that I've been interacting with over the last 2 and a half years.

I mean, just look at the happy faces on these folks above - for a picture of me with them taken by the Roc, see here! Though blogging, the TweetFleet and our podcasts are amazing ways of interacting and building a community of like minded folks who are passionate about the world of New Eden, nothing beats getting together in "meat space" and sharing good laughs and a few pints! Hell, meeting the Roc in person is worth the travel alone!

I've finished uploading the photos I've taken so far and will be adding descriptions and more photos over the next few days. With all these folks here, I haven't had the time and opportunity to provide daily reports like I did during my previous Fanfest. I know that some of the EVE Bloggers here have done, and I'll be putting a list in a later post.

For now though, I've got to head over to the venue as the third and final day of EVE Fanfest is already in full swing! And then there's that little get together called the "Party at the Top of the World"

Links:

Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday Video: What if this was a glimpse of DUST 514? [VIDEO]


I'll be honest, I'm getting antsy for some DUST 514 news. Real news. We've been teased by CCP far too many times, and have yet seen any concrete footage of game play. Yeah, yeah, so there was that trailer back in October of 2009, but since then nada! Nothing. I'm really hoping that we'e gonna get some major updates at Fanfest, or else I'm flying off with Nathan's Beer ship and holding it for ransom!

Until then, I'll squint my eyes and imagine this Battlefield 3 video as some DUST 514 trailer. Wouldn't that be awesome!



Damn! If DUST 514 looks anything like this, I might never go back to the MMO. Ok, that might be pushing it, but I'm definitely getting Battlefield 3, for sure!

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Getting to know your surroundings is crucial after a move!


Having recently moved about 30 jumps from Heimatar to the Tash-Murkon region, I'm now settling in to my new home base system of Pimebeka. It's where Phoenix Labs has made it's HQ, though we're still listed as being based out of Khanid Prime. A system and region I'm much more familiar with. Stuck between DOMAIN, KADOR and KHANID, TASH-MURKON is a region I've never really gotten to know, despite my 7 years of EVE. Getting my bearings quickly will be crucial.

That's something I always like to do when I establish myself in a new area of New Eden which I'm not familiar with. And whether you use the EVE Strategic Map like me, or @Wollari's DOTLAN EveMaps (which I also use by the way), learning all you can about the systems, belts, stations and surroundings is essential to safely navigating space.

I haven't had the time or opportunity to join any corp events since moving back to PPL, but I have taken a few trips beyond Pimebeka, learning various routes and getting to know a few agents. Hopefully, I'll get to know the neighborhood well rather quickly.

What about you? Have you moved around a lot, or have you stayed within the same region within New Eden?

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

New Eden Chronicles Episode #02 - CCP Dev Interviews

iTunesPodBean - RSS Feed - MP3 FeedFacebook


Date: Recorded on Thursday February 24th, 2011
Hosts: CrazyKinux, Memoocan
Guests: CCP Daishi, CCP Manifest

This special episode was originally supposed to have a few segments, including the only one that made it in the final episode. At almost 90 minutes, the interview that Memoocan and I did, managed to take over the whole show, and as such no other segments were recorded. Interviewed during this show were Mike Read, aka CCP Daishi, who is Director of Events and Convetions at CCP Games, and Ned Coker, aka CCP Manifest, the man behind most of EVE Online's PR!

During the show we had a chance to learn how both of them managed to infiltrate the Icelandic behemoth that is CCP Games today, and it made for some great story telling - then again, Mike is well known to enjoy telling a good story, his story! We also covered CCP's new willingness to help out Fan gatherings and other community driven initiatives. Mike was/is all over that one! A good chunk of time was also spent talking about PAX East 2011 and EVE Fanfest 2011 (#evefanfest), both of which are coming up in over the next 2 weeks.

Overall a great show!

-- Here are the various links mentioned during the show--

How to reach Mike:

URLs:

Monday, February 28, 2011

EVE Blog Banter #25: And by Alliance you mean.....?


Welcome to the twenty-fifth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month's topic comes to us from @Tetraetc - "Tetra's EVE Blog" - who asks: "Have Alliances and the sovereignty system limited the amount of PVP and RP potential in Null sec? Imagine a Null Sec where anyone could build outposts, wherever. Would the reduction of the Alliance game mechanic, and the removal of the sovereignty game mechanics (and the modifcation of it from Alliance level to Corp level for that matter) force more PVP into Null sec, or would giant power blocs like the NC still form themselves?"
This is one of those rare occasions where it's hard for me to state my opinion. The reason is simple: I just don't think I know enough to grasp the various issues at hand when it comes to Alliances, sovereignty and how all this ties into 0.0 space. I do understand the basics, but to actually suggest that the current alliance game mechanics have a positive or detrimental effect on PvP or RP, and be able to defend my arguments is beyond such understanding. As such, I'll have a lot of reading to do, though I feel confident that I'll be in the know once I go through everyone's Banter! So, without further ado, here they are!

Participants:
  1. CrazyKinux's Musing: EVE Blog Banter #25: And by Alliance you mean.....?
  2. BB25 What sov changes will come? | A Mule In EvE
  3. Confessions of a Closet Carebear: Alliances and Sovereignty
  4. Blog Banter 25: Nerfing Nulsec « OMG! You're a Chick?!
  5. Have Alliances and the sovereignty system limited the amount of PVP and RP potential in Null sec? | Nitpickin's
  6. Blog Banter #25: Alliance and Sovereignty Limiting PvP in 0.0? | Sarnel Binora's Blog
  7. Blog Banter #25 - Mad Haberdashers
  8. Alliances and sovereignty | Eve Online Focus
  9. ...Shall we not Revenge?: BB 25: What if the Alliance vanished?
  10. Blog Banter: Alliances and Sov
  11. EVEOGANDA: BB25: Sov 'n Go!
  12. » TBG:EBB#25 – Alliances and Sovereignty To Boldly Go
  13. Freebooted: BB25: Leviathans of the Deep
  14. Wrong Game Tetra ~ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah
  15. EVE Blog Banter #25 – Human nature what art thou? | Way of the Gun
  16. Who cares about Sov? - Hands Off, My Loots! ~ well sorta like an entry! :p
  17. The 25th EVE Blog Banter: Alliances and sovereignty - The Phoenix Diaries
  18. Achernar: The space commute
  19. Wandering the Void…my EvE musings. – Blog Banter: Alliances and sovereignty
  20. (OOC) CK’s Blog Banter #25: How To Break EvE. « Prano's Journey
  21. Captain Serenity: Blog Banter #25 - Crappy mechanics
  22. Helicity Boson » Blog Banter #25 Nullsec and sov.
  23. BB #25 – “With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?”
  24. Boom! Hull-Shot?: It's the End of the Eve as We Know It
  25. sered's lives: EVE Blog Banter #25 - Size does matter
  26. 25th EVE BB – Medieval Solutions to Spaceship Problems | Inventions of a New Eden Industrialist
  27. Eve Blog Banter #25: “Have Alliances and Sov Limited PvP and RP in 0.0?” « Align Outbound
  28. Banter 25: Sovereignty, Alliances and Power Blocs | TheElitist
  29. Blog Banter 25 – But I just left all that! « A Scientist's Life in Eve
  30. Nobody likes losing « One capsuleer against all
  31. >>>Vigil Ant: Alliances and SOV by Munny's eyes.
  32. Latro's Bunker: Blog Banter 25 -Nullsec and Sov
  33. A "CareBears" Journey » Blog Banner #25: Alliances and Sovereignty, and their affect on PVP and RP
  34. Blog Banter #25 – Unstoppable « Roc's Ramblings
  35. Nobody likes losing « One capsuleer against all
  36. EVE Blog Banter on PVP in Null Sec « Evehermit's Blog
  37. Sleepless in Space: Blog Banter #25: Moar Low Sec!
  38. Escape Velocity: BB#25: The Condition of Mere Nature
  39. Imagine a Null Sec…. « the hydrostatic capsule
  40. Blastrad tales » Coagulation
  41. Yosagi Yojimbo - Gallente Exile: EVE Blog Banter #25: And By Alliance You Mean Blob?
  42. More to come...

Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Video: "Drone 23" & "Solar", by Ben Reubold [VIDEO]

These clips hint at a great talent. I just wish they were a bit longer and that their creator, Ben Reubold, would use some of the New Eden canon for his next one!


Drone 23 from Ben Reubold on Vimeo.

SOLAR from Ben Reubold on Vimeo.

A second episode of New Eden Chronicles in the works

iTunes - PodBean - Facebook

It's 1:22AM. I'm exhausted and should have been in bed hours ago. And yet, I've just logged into EVE and popped open another can of Guinness. A short while ago Memoocan and I finished recording a 90 minute segment for our upcoming and much delayed 2nd episode. During this recording we had CCP Dashai and CCP Manifest talk about how they came on board CCP Games, discuss their up coming special Fan event at PAX East, as well as the EVE Fanfest of course.

Suffice to say we had a hell of a good time, and I just can't wait to get to Reykjavik in a little over 3 weeks!

We still have some more recording to do, but I'd like to get the episode out to you either by the end of the week-end, or on Monday at the very latest - just as the 25th EVE Blog Banter gets published all over the EVE Blogsphere.

Last sip of Guinness has been taken. This capsuleers needs his shuteye! Fly safe!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Speedlinking New Eden & more - The February 21st, 2010 Edition


EVE Online News
EVE Blogsphere & more
New Blogs
Other Games & other news

Made it into the Darkspore Beta. But when will I jump in?


Earlier this week I managed to wedge myself into the Darkspore Beta thanks to the folks at GameShadow! I was very excited to have a chance another Beta and was looking forward to that first moment, when the screen loads for the very first time on a new canvas of virtual pleasure and a new beginning awaits you. So after some fiddling with my EA account, a few downloads and updates to their client, I was ready to jump on board.

Then I read a short sentence: "Beta servers are closed" What? Ah, okay. They open up the servers only at specific times. Better check the forums to learn when. Only fortunately I didn't have any time this week-end to do just that. With a fully loaded social calendar, and the MiniCKs to entertain and train, very little time was left to gaming.

Let's hope this week provides me with the oppornutity to do so. In the mean time, I'll have these promotional videos to drool over. Man, I can't wait!









Looks fun no? Are you in the BETA?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

EVE Online Postcard for Thursday February 17th, 2011


A stargate and setting star in all their glory. New Eden still amazes me despite roaming its vast expenses for over seven years now!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Speedlinking New Eden & more - The February 16th, 2011 Edition


Wow, has it really been a month since my last Speedlinking post? Time flies! So many great links this week it's hard to keep up!


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

EVE Online Fanfest 2009: A Documentary [VIDEO]


EvE-Online Fanfest 2009 Documentary from Oddur Elíasson on Vimeo.

About this documentary:
Every year or so a celebration is held in the name of EvE-Online. This celebration is calld Fanfest and hundreds of EvE players gather in Iceland to put real faces to avatars, to enjoy the company of EvE players from other parts of the world, to learn about upcoming events in EvE and also just to celebrate the world of EvE-Online.

This short documentary is to give a look into what fanfest is all about, to show the people that play the game and what they think of Fanfest and EvE-Online!

Director: Oddur Elíasson
AD: Arna Björk Pétursdóttir
Camera A: Anton Smári Gunnarsson
Camera B: Ingimar Björn Davíðsson
Editing: Oddur Elíasson and Jón Tómas Einarsson
Color Correction: Jón Tómas Einarsson

Monday, February 14, 2011

Who knew: Girls Like Playing EVE Online! [VIDEO]

The above title is of course meant as a teaser, since I know a fair amount of women playing EVE - and not just the carebearing kind! I came across the Youtube channel of @Mintchiplol, a new Twitter follower of mine. And after watching a few of her videos, I came across the one below.

Now @Mintchiplol from what I gather seems to be quite the PvP gamer, though she's fairly new to New Eden. So it was interesting to see how she describes how EVE is a more complex MMO environment then what she was familiar with in Word of Warcraft. Not  a bashing of WoW here, but just interesting to see how a newbie can quickly nail the main differences between a theme-park MMO and a sand-box. Thanks for the videos @Mintchiplol and hope to see you in space!



On a side note, her YouTube channel and her series of videos on EVE gave me a few ideas. Something I'll start working on soon...

Fly safe!

The ever expanding EVE Blogosphere! - Part 12


Over the last few weeks the list of new blogs to add the the EVE Player Blogroll has steadily risen. And now it's time to roll up my sleeves and add all of them! Here's the list to be added:

  1. Breakin' Rocks In the Hot Sun...
  2. Cyberea - Personal Log
  3. Durzo Chronicles (The)
  4. Eve Online Day By Day
  5. Flying Rust
  6. Jae's Journal
  7. Letters from the Front
  8. Purely Business
  9. Rants of a Jaded Miner
  10. Wandering the Void…my EvE musings
  11. Way of the Gun
Tag: [NEW BLOGS]

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Help me save "Fiddler's Edge" and add a great blog to the Blog Pack


Earlier this week I cleaned up the EVE Blog Pack, removing outdated blogs and adding a fresh new set of prolific EVE Online bloggers. In doing so, I turned down a few bloggers who had made the request to get added to the Pack. Last evening I set myself to the task of cleaning up my Unread emails that were related to this blog. Some of these dated back to last November.

You see, despite the fact that I may not be as productive in writing about my experience in EVE as I was in the past, I still get a ton of emails, which all warrant my attention. And sometimes, some of these request slip through the cracks. Just as great blogs can sometimes get overlooked. Fiddler's Edge is one of those.

Without realizing the terrible mistake I was about to make, I simply declined his request, once again, to join the Pack. And now, Mord seems to have decided to move on.

I've just spent the last hour, going through emails and evemails, from folks asking me to add Fiddler's Edge to the Pack. Mord even wrote about it and got a ton of comments to encourage him to continue and to disregard my blatant mistake. And indeed it was a mistake not to included him.

But hopefully it's a mistake that can be corrected. This is where you come in.

I need you to head over to his blog and add to the comments, and request that he reconsider and continue to do what he's been doing all these months; writing a great blog, for the benefit of his readers and the EVE Blogging community.

And Mord, if you're reading this, I hope you'll forgive this ol'time EVE Blogger, and provide us the privilege to be part of the EVE Blog Pack!

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

The Mother-of-All Ultimate EVE Online Guide - Introducing ISK 3.0


Earlier last week, the folks behind EON released what can only be described and the ultimate, most complete, heavy-weight EVE Online Guide.

Here's what they had to say:
It's been a long time coming but it's finally here! The ultimate guide to EVE Online and it's all yours, for FREE. Whether your a new or old player, there is something useful for everyone. So for your free download, yes free, please visit www.isktheguide.com from 1st February.
So head over, download and save the Guide. But unless you're unaffected by the cost deforestation, leave it at the digital stage. Printing this phone-book-sized guide is out of the question!

Monday, February 07, 2011

Making the Pack: 10 blogs make the cut as the Blog Pack gets refreshed!


As hinted earlier this year, the EVE Blog Pack got reviewed during the week-end. Some blogs were removed, some old Pack members were pulled out of retirement, and quite a few new blogger got to be part of the EVE Online Blogging Elite.

I've decided to give a chance to an old Pack member, A Scout's Domain's Lumenarious Rex (@Lumenarious_Rex), who recently returned to EVE. The lad had always written great posts. I've given him a grace period to get his blog updated! Also new to the Pack is the folks from EON magazine. The volunteered and have recently been putting out some great posts.
  1. A Scout's Domain, by Lumenarious Rex 
  2. Angry Care Bear (The), by Serenity One
  3. EON :: The official EVE Online magazine, by @EONmagazine
  4. EVE PRIVATEER, by Rebecca Aventine 
  5. EVE's parity bit, by Paritybit 
  6. Letrange's EvE Blog, by Letrange 
  7. Scram Web - An EVE Online Blog, by Toterra 
  8. Sleepless in Space, by Shadai 
  9. Ravings of a Lunatic, by Dos Tu Mai ‘Dossie’ Kielle
  10. where the frack is my ship?, by Eelis Kiy 
As always, if you think you've got the Right Stuff, write great content, guides, advice and would like to be part of the EVE Blog Pack, please let me know. I'm always looking for canon fodder,... uh, I mean great talent!

Fly Safe!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Come on CCP! Where the frack is my Beer Ship? [VIDEO]

As we head closer and closer to Fanfest 2011, I thought I'd remind those who've been, and those who'd like to attend, at the sort of geeky humour we're soon to witness!



Now, seriously, forget Incarna CCP, and give us all Beer Ships next Christmas!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Speedlinking New Eden & more - The January 17th, 2010 Edition


With part 3 of Incursion coming later this week, we've got a bonanza of posts today. Hope I didn't miss any this time! Also, be aware that the recording for the next New Eden Chronicles is scheduled for the 28th, once Sansha's shown his face in Empire. Finally, I'm off to Las Vegas for the remainder of the week. Fly safe till then!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011

EVE Blog Banter #24: Be, all that you can be, and so much more!


Welcome to the twenty-fourth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month's Banter topic comes to us from the ever helpful Eelis Kiy, capsuleer behind the "Where the frack is my ship" blog. She asks: How does your real life personality compare to who you are as a character in EVE? Does a good leader of people in the real world make a good leader of pilots in game? Or vice-versa? Do your real-life skills help you with the roles you fulfill in your corporation or alliance? Or do you behave completely differently? Does the anonymity of the Internet allow you to thrive on the tears of others in New Eden whilst you work as a good Samaritan away from your keyboard? Or are you as mean outside of your pod as you are inside it? Have experiences in EVE Online affected your behavior, skills or attitudes outside of the game?
In a world such as EVE Online, with endless possibilities, it's easy to see why the attraction of developing an alter ego would be there. Let's try to answer Eelis' questions!

How does your real life personality compare to who you are as a character in EVE?
I've got two characters in EVE, Treenara Mazouk my main, and CrazyKinux, an alt I created to prevent someone else from impersonating me in-game. In both cases though I'm pretty much myself whenever I log into New Eden. It didn't use to be like this in the past, but these days, a lot of my involvement in-game happens through the EVE Channel. I spend a lot of time chatting with a multiple of folks, some in channels, some in private convos. Either way, I'm pretty much the same out-of-game, than in-game. Makes you think though. Maybe creating a 3rd character, unknown to all, and completely different from me. Food for thought!
Does a good leader of people in the real world make a good leader of pilots in game? Or vice-versa?
I would not say that all great Corp or Alliance leaders are also great in the real world, but in today's global work environment, the skills one builds in-game, can certainly be applied if one works in an environment where your team members are spread out over multiple time-zones and geographies. There's a great research paper that was put out by the folks from @Seriosity on behalf of IBM on this very aspects of MMOs (see Virtual Worlds. Real Leaders). And though it's specifically takes a look at Word of Warcraft, it could be applied to other MMOs as well.
Do your real-life skills help you with the roles you fulfill in your corporation or alliance? Or do you behave completely differently?
My real life occupation deals with sales/marketing/communications, so in a way you could say that everything I do related to EVE Online, this blog, the blog community, Blog Pack and Blog Banter does in a way fulfill itself in part do to my real world job skills.
Does the anonymity of the Internet allow you to thrive on the tears of others in New Eden whilst you work as a good Samaritan away from your keyboard? Or are you as mean outside of your pod as you are inside it?
As I've stated above, I'm pretty much the same in-game or in-real-life. Though I'm curious to explore the darker sides of my personality in an online EVE alter-ego. Muhahahaha!!!
Have experiences in EVE Online affected your behavior, skills or attitudes outside of the game?
They've certainly grown my social network way beyond anything I would have imagined. As such, I'm much open to engage with other in or out of game, to create new friendships where none existed before. EVE has allowed me to develop a global (worldwide) network of friends which is integral to my enjoyment of the game and the community that we've built around it.

Long Live EVE Online. Long Live the EVE Blogging Community!

List of participants:
  1. EVE Blog Banter #24: Be, all that you can be, and so much more!
  2. BB24:RL + EVE = | A Mule In EvE
  3. Freebooted: BB 24: You Talking to Me?
  4. where the frack is my ship?: Blog Banter 24: Behind the keyboard
  5. (OOC) CK’s Blog Banter #24: I Am Prano. « Prano's Journey
  6. mikeazariah » Blog Archive » BB24 Who are you, who hoo woo hoo
  7. Drifting: The 24th EVE Blog Banter (January 2011 Edition) - Topic: EVE and Real Life
  8. Victoria Aut Mors » Blog Archive » Eve Blog Banter #24 – Where Eve Meets Real Life
  9. Who is more real?? « The Durzo Chronicles
  10. Captain Serenity: blog banter #24 - Personalities
  11. Confessions of a Closet Carebear: EVE and Real Life (EVE Blog Banter #24)
  12. The 24th EVE Blog Banter - EVE and Real Life - The Phoenix Diaries
  13. » EvE Blog Banter #24: EVE and Real Life EvE Blasphemy
  14. Blog Banter 24: In Real Life « Yarrbear Tales
  15. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Alt « the hydrostatic capsule
  16. Blog Banter #24 – Me « Roc's Ramblings
  17. Blog Banter: Personalities in game and out of game
  18. Fiddler's Edge: Game Face - Eve Blog Banter #24
  19. Progression's Horizon: Blog Banter 24- Synonymous or Anonymous?
  20. Diary of a Space Jockey - Cozmik R5's EVE blog: Blog Banter #24: I am me
  21. EVEOGANDA: BB#24: Real Life & Eve
  22. Reflections ~ Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah
  23. Sleepless in Space: Eve Blog Banter #24: A New Age
  24. More to come....

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Get ready for a deluge of posts in the next few days!



As part of my "2011 Blog Revival Initiative", I'm working on a bunch of posts that should have been posted some time ago, but which I plan to post over the next few days. Don't think that this will be my new blogging schedule or that this will be the sort of blogging I'll now focus on. Once these are done, I'll start using a new blogging schedule I'm working on and revisit some old blog series from the past.

Speaking of which, if you have ideas, series or topics that you would want me to explore, please let me know in the comments below.

Stay tuned!

The Ultimate Guide to EVE Online - ISK Guide 3.0 [FREE]


Late last week, I was ask to share with you some good news from our friends at MMM Publishing. Now I'm  usually not the type to repost directly information that's being past on to me, but hey, this is EON, this is the "new and improved ISK Guide" and hell, it's FREE! So without further ado, and even though you may have already seen it on a few other blogs, here is the low-down!

ISK 3.0 - INDUSTRIAL-SIZED KNOWLEDGEBASE
The ultimate strategy guide for EVE players, from the makers of EON magazine
London, England - January 6, 2011 - MMM Publishing, a leading publisher of online gaming
magazines, has announced a new "EON Presents..." publication for players and fans of the award-winning science fiction universe EVE Online. This February "EON presents... ISK 3.0" will be released as a free pdf download, offering all EVE players the most exhaustive and expansive strategy guide that's ever been compiled in the game's eight year history.
Like previous "EON Presents..." projects (EVE Strategic Maps, EVE Career Guide), the ISK 3.0 guide is a collaborative effort between EVE players, CCP Games and the design and editorial teams of MMM Publishing. Previous versions of the "Industrial-Sized Knowledgebase" have been downloaded by almost 40,000 EVE players and the vast compendium is considered by many to be EVE's de facto player manual. 
The new expanded ISK guide has been updated to include recent changes brought to EVE
Online as part of the Incursion expansion, including adaptions to character creation, skill training
and planetary interaction. It has also been completely redesigned to be easier to read and reference important sections, with new images and tables within established chapters on getting
started, ship fitting, manufacturing, trading, exploration and combat. "EVE players have been crying out for a comprehensive strategy guide since the game first came out" says EON editor Richie Shoemaker. "With ISK 3.0 people are going to realise that the wait has been worthwhile. Compiled over many, many months it's an incredible piece of work that we're proud to help bring to EVE players."
Beyond the release of ISK 3.0 the team will begin work on a premium edition of the guide that
will be available to buy as a digital publication alongside EON Digital. The extended 500-page
guide will also be available to pre-order from the EVE Store as an exclusive and limited edition
print publication. Price and publication details will be announced at a later date.
"Creating ISK has been a labour of love for many months and we intend to keep updating and
releasing newer and better versions of the guide for as long as people want to read them"
said ISK’s creators Gábor Várkonyi and László Lipták. "Our dream is to eventually have a
professionally published edition in my hand and after having published EON magazine for six
years, MMM Publishing are the best people to make that dream come true." 
ISK 3.0 Lite Edition will be freely available as a pdf file from February 1, 2011 from
www.isktheguide.com, www.eve-files.com and all good EVE fansites. The digital and print
Premium Edition will follow in the spring. 
Contact: Ian Bond, MMM Publishing Director, info@mmmpublishing.com
http://www.EONmagazine.net
http://www.facebook.com/EONmagazine
http://www.isktheguide.com
http://www.mmmpublishing.com 
About MMM Publishing
MMM Publishing is a London-based publishing company specialising in community-driven
games magazines aimed at the players of massively-multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Since
2005 MMM Publishing has worked alongside industry-leading developers like CCP Games,
Sony Online Entertainment and Codemasters to help enliven the experiences of players across
the world. MMM Publishing's leading publication is EON the official EVE Online magazine. Now in its sixth year of successful operation, EON is published quarterly and sent out to more than 80 countries worldwide.

Don't you love FREE stuff? Especially when it's this good!

Friday, January 07, 2011

Friday Video: Could this be a new DUST 514 Trailer by CCP Games?

OK, clearly the video below - Mass Effect 3 Trailer - isn't the one we're all anticipating. But it does have that dirty, gritty, war-is-a-shit-whole feeling to it, which is what I expect the next DUST 514 trailer will look like. Based on the only DUST 514 trailer CCP has been so kind to release (over a year ago I might add - and nothing since!) we can certainly expect a very polished FPS. Let's just hope that it will have the appeal and breadth of the Mass Effect series!

If you were CCP, what sort of trailer would you release to really get people's attention? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that one!


Hope you'll forgive the tease! Fly safe!

The Great EVE Blog Pack Clean-Up - Early 2011 Edition


It's that time of the year again. Those of you that have been reading this blog for sometime now know that every now and then I do a little clean-up operation with the EVE Blog Pack membership. Call it a "shake n' bake" ops if you will. Though I try to enforce the Pack's Rules & Regulations on a regular basis, sometimes a good good ol'fashion clean-up is just needed.

So, as I've done in the past on numerous occasions, I'll be retiring all non-active blogs, blogs that have not had a post in over a month, or who's owners have asked to be removed (yes that does happen!).

So all of you who've always wanted to be part of the Pack, this is once again a chance to be part of this elite group! Hell, I might even re-apply myself! As I tweeted yesterday, I invite you all to submit your blogs or those you enjoy who you see as a good fit for the Pack. As long as they abide by the Rules of the Pack, I'll be willing to consider their inclusion.

So far, here's the suggestions received that I'm considering:
Plenty of great blogs out there, so please keep those suggestions coming!

Looking forward to the next iteration of the EVE Blog Pack!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Planetary Interaction, like you've never seen it before - "Modern Times" [VIDEO]

Thought you guys would enjoy!
MODERN TIMES from BC2010 on Vimeo.

D.O.P: Richard Mountney
Lighting and Camera assistants:
Simon Mountney, Tom Mountney and Robin Mair
Film Excerpts and Music used under a strictly non-profit basis.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Basic Tackling 101 Tutorial [VIDEO]

As I get ready to dibble and dabble in PvP, videos like these will become very valuable to me.

If you're aware of other (better) videos, please post the links below in the comments. I'll make sure to showcase them some time in the near future!