Friday, March 29, 2013

CSM Match vote 2.0

To help you in your choice of deciding whom to vote for during the CSM (pre-)elections you can visit http://match.eve-csm.com/. I saw this link at http://throughnewbeyes.wordpress.com.

My first reaction is that there are lots of WH questions, of course they have to find a way to differ between the WH candidates.

The two candidates with the highest match at first are Steve Ronuken and Mangala Solaris for me.
Both candidates that I haven't even taken a loot at so far!

Player-built Outposts should be destroyable
Limiting this only to player-built outposts is a step but it would simply mean I'd be forced to limit myself to living in conquerable stations to reduce the odds of having lost all my assets after a two week vacation. I want the POS to be a destructable station.

Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Grand Admiral Shimo-Haya and DaeHan-Minhyok for saying destructable outposts should be mandatory.

CREST (the new API) should allow players to update or create their markets orders from outside the game client.
No. I don't need even more competition from bots or players imitating one.
Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Corebloodbrothers
 
Delayed local chat should be present in
WH space only if up to me. This is what makes WH space so unique.
Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Fon Revedhort

Suicide ganking in high sec
Only 2 candidates think it should be easier to gank someone. That said I do not want to make the game safer for anyone. Undocking means you run the risk of losing your ship.
Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Psychotic Monk and Malcanis

CCP should support secure player-run banks.
No government interference from CCP! Will they take my isk to save a bank that put money into risky investments?
Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Awol Aurix, Apricot Baby, Korvin, Greene Lee, Ali Aras.

The cost of using NPC owned manufacturing slots should be changed
Right now slot rental has barely any impact on production prices.
Candidates eliminated for their answer:
Mangala Solaris

Candidates going up in ranking for their answers:
Mynna mostly even though we disagree on some answers. Of course I am biased in this case because his comment to decouple local from intelligence mirrors my Blog Banter 44 post for a part.

Some other candidates also gave the correct answers but they won't get any attention until they make it to the real election.
A matchmaking list really only serves to eliminate candidates so Mike Azariah and Roc Wieler don't lose much by not appearing on this list. On the other hand it reduces their visibility a bit so might have a negative impact.

EVE online: Solving my isk problems

For a while I have been active on the local market, hauling in tech2 modules from high sec and putting them up for sale. Since I started this blog that has been put on hold for the most part while I switched more to local production of T1 items.

The biggest reason is that I don't want to tie up liquid isk on the market. Another is that I feel that with a blockade runner I can't compete with people using jump freighters and while I could pay someone to move my goods for me it would most likely mean I'd have to move goods in bigger quantities to make it worthwile for someone else. Which in turn ties up more isk at once.

I am still producing ships, modules and rigs locally. Salvage takes up almost no space at all so it easy to move in large quantities with a cloaky, triple stabbed and nullified T3 strategic cruiser.
Right now I mostly produce ammo since it has a quick turnaround and good profit margins for a low investment cost.

Since there is a limit to how much time I can spent playing eve I switched from mining myself to buying minerals locally already as well. That frees up my miner to move back to high sec for afk mining if needed. Mining in null while shooting rats on a second account and running a salvager on a third account, especially when in different systems, is just asking to lose a ship sooner rather than later. It is how I lost my then shiny new vargur.  http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15565026

The mony I made last month was immediately spent on a Gistum C-type medium shield booster to give my tengu a big cap stable tank. Although in reality my tank is getting smaller as I lose two shield modules to a codebreaker and analyzer.

[Tengu - no salvager]
Caldari Navy Ballistic Control System II
Caldari Navy Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II

Afterburner II
Gistum C-type Medium Shield Booster
Kinetic Deflection Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Codebreaker I
Analyzer I

Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Expanded probe launcher

Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I

Accelerated Ejection Bay
Adaptive Shielding
Fuel Catalyst
Emergent Locus Analyzer
Augmented Capacitor Reservoir

Three rigs is more as what is required to be cap stable. I just never got around to replacing them.
If I need more tank for an escalation I can always replace the codebreaker/analyzer with an EM and adaptive field hardener for omnitank or a kinetic hardener and shield boost amplifier vs guristas.
If I don't need the probe launcher I can always replace the adaptive shielding subsystem with the amplification node for an even bigger tank. (And the scanning subsystem with the sensor strength one to reduce the odds of getting jammed by gurista rats a little.)

With a tengu and vargur together I still don't earn as much isk per hour as with a carrier or a solo vincicator but I would say I end up with about 60 million isk per hour in bounties plus all the loot and salvage. This allows me to plex two accounts a month if I don't pvp, one if I do.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

BB 45: Marketing

Through Seismic Stan of Freebooted we are asked the following question:

"In a socially-driven game environment such as EVE Online's, everyone has an agenda. CCP promotes its products and has an army of volunteers to do the same; corporations and alliances deliver entertaining recruitment drives, CSM election candidates solicit for voter favour, bloggers and podcasters opine to their audiences.

In this intricate web of communication, influence and control, what part does propaganda play in your game?
"


Propaganda, a word with negative connotations. Mostly because of its association with nazi Germany. (Just as Hitler ruined the 'tootbrush' mustache made famous by Charlie Chaplin. Not even Michael Jordan can get away with it 60 years after date without sparking outrage.)

In the original meaning propaganda was a neutral word, these days marketing, advertising and public relations are more common terms. The goal however is the same, to change public perception.

While propaganda surrounds us on every side in the real world, eve has no shortage of people or groups handing out one-sided others either. A lot of articles over at the Mittani have their source in propaganda mails from alliances. And are most blogs not about promoting a certain lifestyle or at least telling us about the good stuff that happens in their space? Eveoaganda as the name already implies is nothing but promotion of Rixx's pro-Eve stance.

And anyone following the news has probably heard the 'Test is pro', '-A- is shit' or 'You don't talk back to -A-'. Although by the end I was tired of the -A- bashing and was hoping they wouldn't fail completely.

After the release of this video I had a positive view of Test Alliance (even though I knew TEST was just a blob that batphoned in a bigger blob when they couldn't run over a loose coalition of small alliances), until the Madness of Montolio painted them a bit more negative. It helps they were blue before and have a nice orange color now.

I am easily swayed on some matters while I will stubbornly cling to my beliefs on others.
News that is biased yet claims to be 'fair and balanced' (hello Fox) will be met with suspicion, news that is biased and makes not claims otherwise wil be met with eyes open to other viewpoints and might get the benefit of the doubt. (hello Daily Show/Colbert Report)

Just remember to be critical of any onesided message. And while eve might seem like a second job for a lot of people it is still a game that is played for entertainment. Both by you and the target of (your) propaganda, be it your ally or your adversary. The entity presented as an ally today might be demonized tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

CSM 8 pre-elections

The CSM 8 pre-elections are live. A full list comprising of 35 candidates can be found at http://community.eveonline.com/community/csm/candidates/.

I browsed through the list and initially clicked open 8 candidates based on their name or the few lines visible. With a long list I am less likely to open candidates later on the list but the order is randomized each time you open the page so it evens out for candidates.

The 8 candidates I opened are:

Trebor Daehdoow
Last election I was tempted to vote for him but in the end didn't due to an email I received from him when visiting Jita in which he asked me to support him. At the time I thought of it as spam and it made me vote for another candidate instead.
This time there's a different system and I have no doubt he will end up near the top of my list, in no small part because this time I know better what he has done while on the CSM.
Time to start reading his blog.

progodlegend
His page refers to the forums where his post says:
This is a placeholder until my midterms are done tomorrow... as I am too busy to do it tonight. 
Yes I know this seems bad.

Yes, you just got scrapped. If you don't have time to get your platform in order you won't have time to go to Iceland and make yourself useful.

Malcanis
Clicked him open because of the name. Not impressed with what I see.

Ripard Teg
He gets a vote just because of his blog. Right now he would be at second place after Trebor but that might still change.

Mike Azariah
Last year he didn't get my vote, like Trebor this year he will end up on my list but a bit lower. While his mention of the casual player gets my attention I am still not sure why he would be be better candidate for my vote as for example Roc Wieler.
I follow his blog as well.

Roc Wieler
Another Canadian like Mike. I think last time he ran on the issue of 'the community'?
No strong agenda of himself although I understand what he wants to do, represent the interests of community. Right now I would rank him about the same as Mike because I occasionally follow his blog.

Unforgiven Storm
Clicked on his name because he mentions the word POS in the first line. Beyond that at first I don't see why I should endorse him. After a quick look at his blog it seems he at least has some ideas.
Let's see if he makes it to the final 14.

Ayeson
No idea why I clicked on this name, probably because of the word POS as well. Does not impress me.

Mynna
will end up on my list but not high, my assumption is he will get in anyway.

Kesper North
Gets my attention for having a familiar name and being in the same coalition. Will probably end up on my list.

The rest of the candidates will get a look when they make it to the final 14.
Most WH candidates didn't get a look because unlike Two Step (who got one of the two votes I had last year) I think of them more as wormhole candidates and not as representing the whole of eve.

No James 315 on the list! Obviously I haven't been keeping up with the news.

For the pre-election you simply log in and press the big yellow ENDORSE button for the candidate you wish to endorse. After this you can cancel the endorsement or click the endorse button to change your endorsement to another candidate.

I endorsed Trebor, Ripard, Mike and Roc.

In the full election we fill in a 14-person preference list that gets tallied using a single transferable vote system. Just remember that if you really want a non-bloc candidate on the CSM putting him second place on your list might not do him any good if he is the candidate with the lowest value on the first count.