You'll flip over the Orca!

Updated:11/10/08
Alright well I don't know if all of you have heard and read the devblogs, so if not I'll be giving you the links and summarizing some of the recent goodies and tweaks CCP is about to put out!

Recently this blog put out by CCP Chronotis gave us some details on what the much anticipated Orca (so called mini Rorqual) will look like!

There is much argument on the Eve-O Forums (thread here), and the stats he's given are still not final.

In brief:

• Skill Requirements: (update: just heard these are very likely to change to exclude Mining Barge 5 and to include Mining Director 1)
  
• Industrial Command Ships 1 (new)
• Spaceship Command 5
• Mining Barge 5
• Mining Foreman 5
• Mining Director 1 (change that was bad boooooo! lol)
  


• Ship bonuses:
  • 250% bonus to range of tractor beams (70km)
  • 100% bonus to tractor beam velocity (1km/s)
  • 500% bonus to survey scanner range (138km)
  • Can fit Gang Assist modules
  • Industrial Command Ships skill bonus: 3% bonus to mining foreman links & 5% bonus to cargo per level

• Fitting:
  
• 3 high (no hardpoints)
  
• 4 mid (changed from 3)
  
• 2 low
• 3 rigs
  
• 430 CPU
• 960 Power grid (changed from 940)
  
• 400 Calibration


• Other Stats:
• 46,000 structure HP
• 6,900 armor HP
• 10,750 shield HP (added 1000)
  
• 75 m3 drone bay w/ 50mb bandwidth (change from 50/25YES!)
• 30,000 m3 base cargo
• 40,000 m3 corporate hangar (changed from 30,000 m3)
• 400,000 m3 ship maintenance bay
  

This is a screen shot with all the stats from the test server with all the stats and BPO stats. It was originally taken and posted

by some player on the forums, would love to cite which but I can't find it now.

Orca BPO estimated to cost 1 Billion ISK.
Orca cost estimated to build 400 million in capital ship components. This is stated from early design by CCP it can and already has been changing. Expect to flip at least a billion isk for one.

Can flippers - Grief the griefers - Pt. One

Warning: Do not retrieve ore stolen from you without a ready combat team to enforce security. Non-combative response advised to independent mining groups.

Assisted Haul Debris Obstruction:
Premise of this is quite simple, jettison as many cans as possible. In each can put many stacks of one unit of ore in each can.

When the hauler comes tag the can you are going to drop in with a fleet (gang) tag such as "1" or "A" the hauler can hit his after burner to bump away the flipper and snag the can. Takes a little practice to do efficiently but I do it solo with a hauler alt without problem. Optionally you can add some goodnatured mocking in local chat.

"Can't even flip a can?!? Better go back to pirate school. Tell ya what why not just uninstall? You'll be saving the legitimate pirates bandwidth"

The game is designed to let them canflip. No point in whining when they do, just write it off. Unless you really really don't to... in which case check in for my next post for an alternate strategy that diverts aggro.

CCP to grant thousands of dreams!!!

The most recent set of patches has been quite arduous for EVE online players. Extended extended down time, extra additional extended downtime. But it is all been far more than worth it.

As I sure your already know with this most recent patch has come with a decree that a CONCORDE written virus, in effort to stamp out persistent illegal Planck generator abandonment and pollution in the universe. The Co-Tangent Terminus program as it has been deemed ready for interstellar transmission will be transmitted according CONCORDE's spokesperson this will be the long promised solution to the Greenlung Ailment will make it no longer an unpleasant but accepted way of life citizens of deep colonies who often live in asteroid belts near deadspace complexes. The code is reset every time actual inventory removed or deposited and transmits over interstellar trade wave, making virtually impossible to avoid.

CONCORDE of course also maintains that no direct link exists between G.A. and Planck Generators, but theres no need for us to try to pursue that line of questioning...

LOL story solution up there for any RPers (I've heard theres a few but never seen any) to the new fix to get rid of old secure cargo containers, thank God to cause I am sick of how ridiculous some places are with litter, especially ice belts!

One sad note, whoever spelled out "42" with small secure cargo containers will no longer get to enlighten everyone outside of that one station.... where was that? oh well.

You win some.... you fly drunk some

So it happened like this, I'm browsing the web, doing all the internetty junk I like to do talking on forums and such, and I'm like "I know, I should be productive in EVE, do some ice mining while I'm internetting."

So I bring out my Mackinaw and my Bestower and I go to town, prett leisurely and I got like 30 some units of ice and I notice a belt griefer can flipping some of the miners and trying to coax them in a friendly way (which I was surprised) to take it back so he could aggro them and scram and smash them. One dude sounds like he was gonna fall for it so I warn him.... They're like 240 km away on the far end of the belt so I'm not concerned.
I start to haul in a load, half empty a container of mine, and then I get a phone call. I hang up, finish the load by hitting ok on the already open partial move window I had from my can so I can pack in my Mackinaw, and what is this?

Suddenly I notice a interceptor orbiting me flashing red! WTF?!? No way! what? so he proceeds to warp scramble me and to start ripping up the mackinaw.... crap... I figure if I eject maybe I can hop in my Rook (recon) in time and take him out before someone else takes my ship in the belt. (stupid idea I see now) I go out there in my Rook but I can't get him for any decent damage because he's out of my webifier range, zooming around at 4.h km/s and I'm fitted all with heavy launchers and one assault launch (which I use for defender missiles occassionnally) but my heavies are doing 0.1 damage to him and I had all damage types fitted. I do however have him totally perma jammed. So I'm thinking well crap, this is a stalemate.

All I can do now is head to the station and either refit (all assault missile launchers) and try to go back and nab him. I go back to station, refit, come out just in time to see him dock..... crap! I try to nail him, but he docks too fast. Now my alt is still sitting orbiting my mackinaw in a bestower. So I know it's still there, I'm like ok, crap, I hafta get it before him, but I'd rather lose it than my fitted Rook.

So I re-dock, eject in a pod (stupid cooldown!!!!!) and go out there, but just as i'm warping in he's warping out I was too slow. Damn. Oh well. I give my hats off to him, "mastergamer" king of the griefers for a day.

So as a result haven't been ice mining much lately, decided to mission run for a while.