Thrashers in Tama

I don’t have a lot of small gang lowsec PVP experience and in order to broaden my experience level, I like to enlist other people to show me the ropes. Sunday night I went on a 2 person Thrasher roam with JonnyPew of the Explorer’s Log Youtube series.

We ended up deciding on Thrashers since they are a versatile and throwaway PVP ship.

I really want a “Copy Ship Fit” option that will take the existing ship’s fit and assemble a duplicate in the same hangar. I only had to fit up 10 Thrashers and I was already getting annoyed. I found that if I put all the modules, ammo, and rigs in to a container and dragged out of that, it helped the mass fit process. I can’t imagine what the RVB people go through to fit up waves of disposable Rifters.

We started in Jita and made our way through Black Rise to Tama under JonnyPew’s guidance. If you don’t know, Tama is a well known PVP lowsec spot so we wanted to end the night there.

On our way to Tama from Jita, we played standoff with a frigate gang and tried to bait a few Faction Warfare people running sites. We ended up not engaging anyone and instead ganked a cyno alt that was waiting out a beacon. Too many times have I been on the receiving end of this action so it was nice to be the one shooting slugs into a helpless ship.

Frigate Standoff

When we got into Tama, we found a solo Thrasher and attempted to bait it. It turns out that my AutoCannon fit was no match for the Artillery off-grid boosted Thrasher.

Our bait went successfully as I warped off to a clearly discernible planet at 30 after locating the solo Thrasher. He landed at 0 on the planet, 30k away, and locked me up. To my amazement he was getting hits on me from 20k away and as I voiced my amazement, JonnyPew informed me that he was most likely Artillery fit. My 1,100 optimal was no match and I went down in under 30 seconds. At least I got a ‘gf’ in local.

gf

Sunday night US (1:00 Monday UTC) seems to be a good block of free time for me. I might try to make this Sunday night suicide roam a regular occurrence. If you are interested in FC’ing or tagging along, contact Blake Armitage in game. Skype conference seems to be the easiest way to communicate for me until I setup an official voice server.


A Jump Freighter is Not a Toy

If you have ever read some of the shenanigans that myself and hav have gotten ourselves into while in WH space, you know that we are an entertaining bunch:

It seemed like a really good idea at the time

Today I moved a JF through a constellation that has an active Incursion going on. While an Incursion is active, rats at gates are more agressive and stronger than regular nullsec rats. Additionally with the Incursion that we have, you cannot use cynos. This meant that the very shiny, expensive ship had to go through the gate.

There was a miscommunication between myself and my scout James in the destination system. He thought that I was starting in the destination system. This meant that warping to 0 on the gate would get me past the Sansha rats.

I was in fact starting in another system and coming into the destination system that James was watching for me. He was watching three rats some 30k off of the gate and when I decloaked after the gateflash 15k away from the gate, James was quite confused.

[ 2011.06.20 22:43:13 ] (notify) Warping to ** prior to making docking attempt
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:19 ] (combat) Yulai Crus Cerebi hits you, doing 1434.5 damage.
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:24 ] (combat) Yulai Crus Cerebi misses you completely.
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:29 ] (combat) Yulai Crus Cerebi misses you completely.
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:47 ] (notify) Requested to dock at ** station
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:47 ] (notify) Your docking request has been accepted. Your ship will be towed into station.

[ 2011.06.20 22:42:04 ] Blake > warping to gate
[ 2011.06.20 22:42:09 ] Blake > hope this works
[ 2011.06.20 22:42:15 ] Raath > hehe
[ 2011.06.20 22:42:20 ] Raath > almost believed you there
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:21 ] Blake > f***
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:34 ] Blake > lol
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:36 ] Blake > LOL!
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:42 ] Blake > they webbed me and that sent me into warp!
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:43 ] Blake > LOL
[ 2011.06.20 22:43:52 ] James > How did you get so far out?
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:11 ] Blake > man that was the dumbest thing I’ve done yet
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:17 ] Blake > but funny
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:23 ] Blake > haavoc style funny
[ 2011.06.20 22:44:26 ] Blake > good thing they didn’t scram

Thankfully they were not scramming rats and instead made my Jump Freighter warp faster to the station because I was triple webbed.


I fail at fail pvping

This time around I planned to actually participate in hulkageddon. So, about a week and a half ago I made two fresh alts, joined them to my main corp and started their skillplans, going for thermodynamics, drone interfacing and the support skills. Then bought 70 thoraxes in jita and 70 thorax fits in Dodixie (thanks missioners!). Three hours before hulkageddon 3 starts, I realize that hulkageddon is going to start in three hours when I thought it was about eight hours away. Unfortunatley, I’m in the middle of garden chores for my grandmother.

One hour, four holly bushes and three car chases later I was at home. I booted up my two laptops, plan in mind. The theory was, I’d appear in system in an orca and two pods, warp to a station. Fit two thoraxes using the station system, put the fitted thoraxes in the maint bay. Warp to a safe, drop combat probes over the belts, pin a hulk, board and warp the thoraxes as fast as possible, land, gank, victory.

I’ve had…difficulties.

So, once I get home, I check evemon on the two characters I’ve been training. One has finished everything but drones V, and the other has finished everything except for Engineering V. Oh, and Gallente frigate IV.

Oops >.>

So, I get one of my nullsec alts, skilled entirely for a logistics BS droneboat. I start him training med hybrid turret, install a JC in the nullsec station I’m sitting in and pod myself back to empire. One hurtle over.

Then it comes to the orca. For those who just downloaded capsuleer or have short term memory loss, my Orca violently exploded completely due to my own idiocy and half-asleepness. For those not in my corp, we have a t1 replacement policy. For those who aren’t a close personal friend of mine, I’m half British. Thus when my CEO contracted me a new Orca for free, I felt horrendously guilty. Not enough to not use the Orca in stupid/risky scenarios, but still, guilty. Anywho, I found the orca on my main account and contracted it to my orca pilot who was currently working as a BS logistics pilot in null. Orca pilot installs JC in null station, pods herself, back to empire. Update clone, accept orca contract…..

Orca 40j away?

Double check clone is updated, change clone location to a different station, self destruct my pod again……

2j away. Much better.

Jita 15j away? eeh.

Hulkageddon starts in 45 minutes? DAMNIT!

I immidiatley buy whatever meta inertial stabalizers are avaliable in station, slap em on and light a fire under my 30-second align time hull. Half an hour later, I arrive in jita and start fitting the orca for cargo and combat probes.

Hmm, combat probes require an expanded launcher.

Hmm, orca pilot can’t use an expanded……damnit!

Three hour train time.

Buy cargo expanders, slap em on. Buy three large cargohold optimizations, fit rigs, yes I’m sure I want to do this…

“you need astronautics rigging at at least 1 to fit this.”

“What?”

OK, 40 minute train time but that’s not too bad, only two less thoraxes. Start it training.

Alright, since I had all the fits I purchased ahead of time already set, I stuff the 70x fittings of thoraxes in the orca and manage to fit right thoraxes. Here’s the fit:

Best Ion blaster I have at the time x5 (couldn’t find 400 meta 4 blasters for cheap for some reason. Go figure)

Best cheap target painter
Best cheap warp disruptor
tech one sensor booster with scan resolution

Four gyrostabs magnetic field stabs and a reaction control.

hammerhead I x5.

Oh wait, one of the alts has drones IV. Damnit!

And the other one can’t overheat. FFS!

Neither can use sensor boosters as that was a last minute change advised by Python Cartel. Who are jerks.

One of the alts can’t use a disruptor. How’d that happen?

Anyway, I start the alts training on whatever I’ve forgotten and manage to undock in the Orca with two thoraxes following her, one with a web fitted. Fast warping yay!

Alright, let’s go to an ice belt. On the way there, I find a hulk. In a belt.

Warp thoraxes to belt.

Keep range at 50m.

Launch drones.

Overheat. Engage target GOGOGO!

Are you sure you want to do this YES I AM SURE PLEASE LET ME NAO

FIRE FIRE FIRE Jammed, scrammed, I pop. Hulk is alive at 33% shields. How’d that happen?

Undaunted, I warp the pods out with the Orca to a safe and start fitting a thorax on one of the alt.

Concord: ” I HATEZ U PREPAR 2 DIE”

Me: “lolwut?”

alt: “GYAH EJECT EJECT EJECT” *pop*

So, apparently there’s this global criminal countdown thing.

In an Orca and two pods, I go to an ice system, .7 system. Go to a planet, check that big red 15 minute timer. Gone. Wewt!

Fit a thorax, tab to the other alt. Grab a thorax out of the Orca with the other alt and…

Concord:” Oh Em Gee WE SHOOT U”

me: “wut?”

alt: *pop*

Apparently getting killed by concord resets the criminal thingy. Alrighty. Wait 15 minutes, refit, warp to belt to a previously BMed hulk.

Wewt, no shield boosters or hardeners running. Engage!

An Arazu jams me.

Pop.

Pop.

Concord begins to warp scramble hammerhead I!

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop.

Alright, let’s find a .5 system.

I find a .5 system, load up the combat probes, scan and BAM got a hulk. Fleetwarp the thoraxes, land on hulk, drones, lock, engage.

*PoP* *Pop*

I forgot to overheat >.<

Fifteen minutes later, two more thoraxes, lose two more thoraxes but get him to 2/3rds structure. Out of thoraxes, back to Jita. I'll try again tonight.


February Failmails

I spend a lot of time reviewing killmails so here are some choice fails.

  1. 52.8 B Officer/T2 Erebus (Gallente Titan) link
  2. 155.3 B lowsec Obelisk (Gallente Freighter) link
  3. 2.4 M damage Power Diagnostic System II fitted Thanatos (Gallente Carrier) link
  4. Two SOLODRAKBANSOLODRAKBANSO Anshar’s (Gallente Jump Freighter) killed by their own Alliance’s POS 3.8 B link and 4.4 B link
  5. 7x Warp Core fitted Dominix killed in lowsec link
  6. Heavy Pulse Laser II fitted Dominix link
  7. Phoenix (Caldari Dreadnought) taken out by a POS link
  8. Mixed fit Dominix link
  9. NPC killed Thanatos (Gallente Carrier) link
  10. 3.0 B Charon (Caldari Freighter) link