My last plan for a while

So, I've devised what I thought were good plans in the past - the purpose behind these plans was to get PvP experience (and kills!) which didn't lead to great successes, but did give valuable learning experiences.

Last night I headed into Hek and then Rens looking for War Targets and learned something new...I don't like busy systems, at all.  There were well over 200 players in each of those systems, far too much information for my poor little brain to try and digest and far too much scope for neutral reppers to be lurking around.

Time to stop thinking up plans/schemes etc and to do just go out and do - if I'm out & about, I'm in with a shout, so less thinking, more flying.

I will however have one last plan, blatantly copied from Kirith Darkblade The Rifter Plan!

I plugged all the skills contained in the plan into my skillplanner section of EVE HQ which resulted in a skill training plan for the next 463 days.

I then used the Neural Remap tool in EVE HQ which suggested an optimised remap that would reduce my skill training to only (!) 402 days.

Basically, if you haven't read Kirth Darkblade's blog (you should!), the Rifter Plan trains to the following skills:-

Electronics
- Electronics V
- Propulsion Jamming V
- Signature Analysis V

Engineering
- Energy Management V
- Energy Systems Operation V
- Engineering V
- Shield Management V
- Shield Operation V
- Tactical Shield Manipulation V

Gunnery
- Advanced Weapon Upgrades V
- Gunnery V
- Motion Prediction V
- Rapid Firing V
- Shrapshooter V
- Small Autocannon Specialisation V
- Small Projectile Turret V
- Surgical Strike V
- Trajectory Analysis V
- Weapon Upgrades V

Mechanic
- Hull Upgrades V
- Jury Rigging III
- Mechanic V
- Projectile Weapon Rigging V
- Repair Systems V

Missile Launcher Operation
- Missile Bombardment V
- Missile Launcher Operation V
- Missile Projection V
- Rapid Launch V
- Rocket Specialisation V
- Target Navigation Prediction V
- Warhead Upgrades V

Navigation
- Acceleration Control V
- Afterburner V
- Evasive Manouvering V
- Fuel Conservation V
- Navigation V
- Warp Drive Operation V

Science
- Thermodynamics V

Spaceship Command
- Minmatar Frigate V
- Spaceship Command V

Now obviously all those skills will also stand me in good stead for other ships and I have no doubt that I will deviate from the plan above to try other ships, (but if nothing else I should never have to think "what do I train next?)...well not for 401 days anyway (see the time is coming down already ;) )

R1FTA Fight Night!

Joe Struck decided to organise a fight night for frigates in heild, with prizes.

Fight Night started at 9pm, I was a little late so missed the start, when I logged in it appeared that there was a free for all, battle royale type of fight going on at planet 1, so I jumped into rifter #1 warped to planet 1 and targeted the first ship I saw - approx 4 seconds later I was in my pod!

I had targeted a Jaguar (I think) from another corp, didn't have my corpmates on overview, and was blown up by a couple of corpmates in a Wolf & Rifter :)

Undeterred, I jumped into rifter #2 and headed back into the fray - this time I targeted the Jaguar again, remembering to overheat my guns, turn on my AB, damage control & Web and then quickly succumbed to the combined forpower of three Jaguars :)

In rifter #3 I dumped the warp scrambler (no one had any intentions of avoiding fights - at least not with me) and the NOS as I hadn't been able to get close enough on the previous 2 attempts and headed back out again - this time I picked my moment and dived in at one of the Jags as it was already engaged with another frigate. the Jag despatched the other frigate first, but this time I'd got closer and was actually making an impression on his shields, or it may have been that he was also taking fire from others, I have no idea, all I knew is that we were both going down and his ship exploded a split second before mine - my lossmail says he landed shots on me with his capule, but that the final blow was laid my another corpmate in an assault frigate :)

Rifter #4 went down in flames against a 1v1 rifter duel with Joe Struck (but doesn't appear to be showing on my killboard)

Rifter #5 and #6 are a blur to be honest but killboard reports #5 succumbed to two Jags and a Wolf and number #6 was destroyed by a Navy Slicer.

That left me with one fitted rifter in station so I decided that was enough fun for one night, I was just about to post my thanks before heading off when the call came out that all the wrecks of the fight night participants looked to be in danger of being stolen by a non-participant, so I jumped back into my rifter to head back to planet 1 to try and help take out the potential thief - on the way the info was passed with the pilots name and a call for some to get point - I landed, targetted and activated my web, scrambler and AB as I rushed toward him only to see an explosion (ship gone!) followed by my pod a second later!

Turns out the interloper was in a battleship and was using smartbombs!

So that was me done for the night. However, turns out I won 2 prizes - firstly there was a tie over who had lost the most ships so my prize for that was a pair of "Nightstalker" Combat Goggles, and for being podded by the battleship pilot I was awarded a Rifter.

Also, on the plus side I did get on a bunch of kills on my killboard including a battleship, a couple of assault frigates and a couple of frigates :)

Now I just need to go shopping to setup another stable of fitted rifters, hopefully the next lot wont all go in one night

Frustration ...and another plan

I got myself setup in my new home system in the HQ station of R1fta, fitted out 7 replacements for 'Black Sunshine' and headed on out to meet the locals.

During the next few days I spent all of my in-game time shooting around low-sec space looking for a fight, and other than 4 or 5 man gate camps (which I avoided) I didn't get a single engagement.

I caught glimpses of people warping out as I landed at a gate or the sun, but I was unable to track them down.

I decided to try my luck flipping cans in nearby hi-sec, again with no luck - closest I got was a Hulk targeting me, but he didn't have a can to flip and didn't flip mine when I jettisoned some ammo.

I even did the Molden Heath loop which included a couple of null-sec security systems...and nothing. Most systems only had a few people in them, most of those seemed to be sat at POS (POS with forcefields and lots of guns).

I even resorted to renaming my ship 'Target Practice' and sitting at the sun in a couple of low-sec system and still didn't get a nibble.

I have no idea if people see the R1FTA tag and assume I'm proficient at flying a rifter or if they think I'm acting as bait with corpmates waiting to jump in, but for whatever reason I spent a week looking for a fight without success.

So I came up with a plan - I had the day off work to work on some college assignments so I setup a Thrasher as a baitship, equipped it with a couple of mining lasers (as well as 5 ACIIs, armour plate, damage control II, webber, scrambler and AB) and sat in a belt hoping for someone to come along and flip my can thinking I was a noob miner.

In the meantime, I proceeded with my assignments on my other machine.

I should have known there would be a problem when I had to offline everything but the guns to bring the mining lasers online

Anyway, finally a stabber turns up and heads towards my can, I offline one of the mining lasers and wait for Cap to regen to 95%, then bring on the damage control at which point stabber is flashy and moved off 20Km.

I hold tight - offline the other mining laser, wait for cap to regen to 95% then bring on my web, then wait until cap regens again and bring on my AB, then stabber warps off

I hold tight, wait for my cap to regen and finally bring on my scram as the Stabber warps back in at 6km!

I fire up my AB and activate my scram, Web and guns, can't understand how he's moving away and not taking any damage when I realise I'm targeting a 'roid at which point I know I'm fekked as he's sitting at 15km firing missiles at me.

I target him but can't get my web nor scram to work, and he can keep me at range.

He asks for 2 mil ransom, which I guess I could have afforded for a lesson learned, but I told him I was skint and overheated my guns and AB, managed to get his shields down to about 75% before my thrasher was no more

Engagement did get my blood pumping though so wasn't all bad. Exchanged gfs and chatted to him afterwards he said he was thinking of putting in an application soon to join us.

Ho-hum, I should have just ignored the Stabber and waited for a more suitable target to come along. I should have checked I was targeting the stabber and not the asteroid, and I probably should have overheated everything to start with.

Anyway, I headed back to a nearby system to jump back in my trusty Rifter and decided that I may as well do some shopping (needed rigs for my replacement rifters, and some ABs and ammo).

Shopping done, I headed back to base with a full hold (about 10 million isk worth) and land at a gate at the same time as a flashy hawk (Assault Frigate) - now is definitely not the time to lose my ship so I jump and warp to station and safety.

So I spend a week looking for a fight and can't find one, then for the 10 mins when I really don't want one I get the perfect chance to go down in flames! /sheesh

Got a little distracted

Since my last post I got into the early access for Star Wars: The Old Republic, then there was Christmas and New Year, so other than keeping my alts' PI ticking over and ensuring I had skills training I've not been in new Eden much at all.

Holidays are over now though, and whilst SWTOR is enjoyable, I don't see it stealing me away from EVE (too much).

Happily CCP were giving out gifts at Christmas and I picked the same gift for both my accounts - a nice package of three Destroyers (Thrashers for me) plus 10,000 rounds of each type of factional small projectile ammo.

I'm having my alt haul all that ammo to very close to where I'm basing myself, I also collected up the PI goods accrued over the holidays which should net me a nice sum - 50million or so is coming to me to spend on Rifters.

The remainder of this week will see me sort out my logistics (buying and fitting out as many Rifters as I can afford, making BMs and Safes around my home system etc), then I'll be looking for that first, elusive Killmail :)