That is a wrap!

Many thanks to the following folks:

CrazyKinux ~ I would not have been in the “pack” as before his idea there was no such thing. I was honored to have met you and only as ever wish you the best. I enjoy to this day your posts and such and wish you more readers than you knwo what to do with. For being a stalwart pro Canadian mindset and making others want to live as you do. Hell if all the people in Canada were like you and Song Li I might move there!

As a last request if I may please drop me from the blogpack as I do not know how often I will be able to update things, I relinquish my hold over the Letter “A” spot brother..may you find a great replacement.

Mynxee ~ I know your not ‘around’ much but I wish you well… you did not openly encourage me to do things but you had me intrigued from the word go and I will always be thankful as that drove me to write more.

Letrange ~ A fellow long time blogpack member whom I also seemed to be in ‘Sync’ with I’ll miss your comments and cross links while I am away. for consistently agreeing with me I owe you a drink to say the least.

Teadaze~ thanks for seemingly have the ability to voice my opinions..I wish you the best!

Rixx Javix ~ A somewhat recent addition to the pack, but a prolific writer and an excellent artist.  I wish you nothing but success in your future.  I will keep this page up and running for the foreseeable future if for no other reason than I love the banner.

Cozmik R5 ~ Just when I would think no one was reading as I wasn’t getting a comment he would comment, or Rixx would or some other kind soul.  Thanks for all the encouragement.

Alekseyev Karrde ~ for giving me a chance to step away from CEPTA and for the encouragement to join NOIR. I’m sorry the timing was so bad.

Roc Weiler ~ For showing me that setting up a ‘brand’ is an awesome thing bro, I had done it and had never realized it… may all your dreams get fulfilled I wish you nothing but luck!

Spectre3353 ~ For always making em laugh at your humor I still miss it.

The C0ven/Stain Empire folks ~ for just being a pain in the ass, you deserve credit for sticking to it!

Goonswarm ~ for being my personal whipping boy group

Luminous Arradakay~ for proving me right that good guys do not HAVE to finish last.. sometimes they just lag behind is all!  Nothing but love for you bro! For filming all that video I owe you and QP a ton of beers!!  Thanks for proving that Greeks really know how to have a good time!

Quivering Palm~ Thanks for making me laugh my ass off at FanFest 2011 I owe you BIG time, and for being such an awesome chick magnet in “Oliver’s”, and thanks for proving that Greeks really know how to have a good time! I still think of you guys when I see a hot blonde 😉

Seismic Stan~ for proving again that good guys DO exist across the ‘Pond’ ( especially in the UK) and for hanging out with me while watching QP and Alek act like babe magnets.

Song Li~ For going out of your way at FF2011 to hang out with your former compatriot from SYS-K and not laughing at him out loud you have my gratitude & for reminding  me that there were some AWESOME people on corps that I had the chance to play with

Richie from E:ON I appreciate the fact that you still acknowledge that you know me…glad I could get you the beer I owed ya!

CCP Fallout ~ for setting the tempo of what to expect from CCP in Iceland…I owe you a drink if not more!  Thanks again.

CCP Xhagen~ For setting my mind at ease on what to expect in the Alliance round table

CCP Soundwave ~ 1) for buying us a Cab the last night of FF2011 downtown.  2) for putting me at ease by being quite an easy guy to talk to.

CCP StevieSG ~ for Proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that English women can be classy, polite and down right gorgeous looking!

CCP Shadow ~ for sending me so much traffic in one day it broke all records! May shanghai always treat you right!

Keith Nelson~ A really nice guy I happen to run into in a bar in Iceland…4 days in a  row! Thanks for sharing all your insider knowledge about Iceland to those of us Uninitiated.

All the Icelandic babes in “Oliver’s” ~ My lord I am glad I am married after all who would want to see the 6’4″ manasi lurking around Iceland looking for a handout, as a bum,  as I would have stayed their no matter what if I were 20 years younger and NOT married.

The folks in CEPTA~ The brotherhood I have with these fellas transitions the game and made playing with them 100% fun!

Nitrov54 ~ A singular PvP’er with  good tactical instincts and a fun guy to fly with

Carl Tremura ~ A great CEO knows how to delegate, knows so many people, and has 100 times more honor than he would ever let on. He could sell Ice to the Inuit!

Gixxer 1000~ One hell of a recruiter I learned everything about recruiting from him. A hell of a decent Texan as well!

Darkstar Nomad~ my singular best bud in CEPTA contact me bro I’ll miss our chat’s

Crypto~ Excellent player who was always fun to chat with and hang out…fearless in PvP

Brydan~ So many hours spent with the guy so much he has done to help me and Niron out

Niron~ an Excellent guy and phenomenally gifted in Linux and learns faster than anyone I’ve ever met before

The former SYS-K guys ~ the core guys were a fearless bunch and held together under tough strain bonds in wartime are not easily forgotten brothers in arms.

Dianna from ETC ~ for actually knowing my blog and being a friendly person to chat with @ FF2011

I’m sure I left some out….

but from the bottom of my heart I thank you and look forward to seeing you all when I can!

STATS:

Total number of Posts 505

Total number of Comments: 2231

Total number of SPAM: 7731

Most people to hit my blog in a  single day:  1705 Thanks to James Egan (CCP Shadow now) for that

The ability to get to knwo and interact with so many of you…..Priceless

I owe it all to you guys …

Good hunting all !

o7

As always if you should need to get in touch with me the about page has my contact information 🙂

Aloha

IN Hawaii they frequently say Aloha as both Hello and some people say it as goodbye. 
I mean it as both.

I have toiled under the shroud of secrecy for these last three years to bring you the trials,tribulations and hopefully the journeys through EvE online with my singular mission to better educate, and give my point of view as a 0.0 pilot.

To some extents, I have succeeded beyond my wildest imaginations.  To have people come to me at FF2011, and indeed join  my former corp say to me, ” I came to 0.0 because of what you wrote and you were right” meant and means more than many will ever know.  Vindication is a singular weak-point if you want to call it, that I seem to possess.  I like to be vindicated as having been right once in a  while and with EvE I think I was right more than I was wrong.

Finally, with the release of the CCP interview we can peel back the mask and you can virtually “meet” manasi please if you will, keep two things in mind when watching the video

• I didn’t know the questions he woudl ask
• He was a very kind presenter and easy to chat with

Enjoy the clip:
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVBv_JhacA[/tube]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVBv_JhacA]

I have faith and love of the game, and just hope the next six months brings more players into EvE and shows them it’s true beauty.

I wish you all Safe jumping and good hunting.

If all goes well I’ll see you in September!

Manasi on Hiatus

I have had to make a choice and right now the cost is that I will go on hiatus EvE.

According to dictionaries a hiatus is defined by the following:

–noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

2.a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

3.any gap or opening.

I plan to resume sometime in September

There are some things that I MUST do, outside of gaming, and focus on my life for a time is certainly something WORTH doing…so I will be stepping away for a while.

I thought I owed it to you all the people who come to my site over the period of time to give you ‘fair warning’ and to let you know I will miss you all.

• I am upset that I have to leave EvE so soon after joining Noir.
• I am sad that I will potentially lose touch with all the people I have met and had the pleasure to fly with along the way.
• I am bothered that it is such short notice.  My subscription was up for renewal and that dictated the timing.
• I am encouraged by the fact that I LOVE trying some new things, especially in RL  I relish any challenge. As difficult as life inside EvE is it pales in comparison to the wonder that is our existence.
• I am heartened by the fact that I still CAN choose what I want to do.

The Mule’s Hiatus will begin when the account goes inactive ( currently the 5th of May )

I will be remembering some people as I count down to the last few days and if all goes according to plan I should be back in September sometime.

I never know how to end things so I will just end the only way I know how

Take care everyone and

“GOOD HUNTING!”

 

Freedom: the beauty in EvE

 

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?

The beauty in EvE.

The beauty in EvE is that there is ultimate freedom to do whatever it is you WANT to do.  The reality in EvE is that often times there are costs associated with doing whatever it is you want to do.  These costs are the HAVE to do items. Some good examples of HAVE to do items:

1. You HAVE to make in game money someway, somehow, no cash = no ships, no ships= no money ( granted this may change with Incarna)
2. You HAVE to have something you trust.  Be it a corporation, a single other player, CONCORD, or yourself, there must be something that you trust. Without some tiny bit of trust somewhere EvE is a very cold dark place
3. You absolutely must enjoy whatever it is that you are doing.

Whatever it is that you do in EvE, failure to remember these three things will lead to some problems.

Manasi’s WANT to do list is surprisingly short.

• I want to log in and shoot people without too much muss and fuss
• I want to be able to win 1/2 the time or more
• I want to enjoy the game

Freedom of choice is a wonderful thing that can , at times, be frightening.

One of the BEST reasons for living in 0.0 is that you have the freedom to choose how you want to live, who you will be friendly and not friendly towards and the rules are all of your own creation!

in-game examples:

• You can choose to engage in your Macharial at the potential cost of the ship.
• You can choose to leave/join a corp at the cost/benefit of some friends.
• You can choose to invade a ‘friend’, but in the end they may be stronger and force you out of your home.

There is always a cost for everything, sometimes easy to handle, other times not so easy.

So make your choice and USE your freedom!  The proper exercise of freedom is essential lest you forget that you have it.

This post was initially 1 longer post but I decided NOT to do what I had initially planned  that will come in a rare Saturday morning post on AMIE.

Saturday’s post may also include the Interview that i was promised and received from CCP!

Other banters as they become available!

 

Severe drought in playtime

Hey all a huge drought in playtime as my hours at work get adjusted.  That plus other impending changes lead me to believe that I will do my best to post 3 X a week but may not meet that.

More information will be available after the blog banter goes live tomorrow.

I am still writing it as we speak so I will ahve to see where it leads me.

I wish I had a bit more time to explain stuff but well I am as busy as a three legged mule, in an ass kicking contest, with a 400 pound rider, who hasn’t bathed in a week.

🙂

As always ladies and gentlemen

“Good Hunting”

The Mule Banner 2.0

/OOC chatter ON

Yes the mule banner now actually is MULES!  Horray for Rixx Javixx for the special Easter Mule present. It is a fallacy to believe that Bunnies deliver Easter stuff everyone KNOWS it is Mules!  I mean come on…. you ever seen a Easter bunny big enough to carry truckloads of candy?  No, of course not.

No EvE time this weekend…. so sadly I cannot tell you how much fun I was having blowing up pixels.

I DID go to a  show in Baltimore and WOW what a talented bunch of people.  If you get the chance to see “totem” do yourself a favor and go.

Anyways way long back in Feb, Rixx was commissioned to make a banner with Mules in it.  Sadly, expert mule aficionado Mynxee, lamented on the fact that those disgusting creatures in the first banner, were Donkey’s…not Mules…   so I begged and pleaded, and threatened shame, and a stomping from one BIG mule ( me), and looky look what my good buddy Rixx gave me for Easter!

Bless you sir! I love the new Banner and the fact that I actually did NOT threaten, cajole, or even bother you much, shows just how good a (pirate) can be?  Yes… you heard me much like  Spectre3353, Mynxee, and hell most of the pirates I know that DO blog, they are top notch good folks…. just do not go looking for them in game.

/OOC Chatter Off

Good hunting and hope you all had a good day Sunday!

Free agency period over

So the end of my Free Agency period has come.  ( for those un-aware of the American slang term it means normally used in American/European sports: After a given amount of time a player can  move to a different “team” without any penalties)  I have decided ( and NOIR. gratefully accepted me into the Noir Mercenary Group )  I ahve heard a great deal about NOIR. and after listening to their comms and perusing some of their forums, they certainly have their act “together”.  That is always an excellent sign to say the least.

My current Ship of choice?  The Vagabond.  I have a decent amount of time in this ship, and while only scoring 16 kills to date it certainly wasn’t through lack of trying.  I shall “keep you in the loop” how BBYD v1 fares.  ( Bang Bang Your Dead is admittedly lame) but when you have to search through MANY systems to find a given ship, naming conventions make finding the hulls simple. SUch is my current naming convention ( which shifts as needed)

No juicy things but already some interesting notes.

• One of the guys FC’ing for NOIR. is one of CEPTA original founders. ~ Imagine that?
• Getting to the fight will be a challenge, but as long as I use my brain, and have an ounce of skill it is doable.
• Their communication ( always a chore with some groups) seems highly developed~ Thank goodness
• Their out of game tools, are comparable to any other group I have flown with.

I will probably steer more towards game mechaincs/opinions and such for a while, as OP-SEC ( Operational Security) is very important.  As needed I will catch up after the fact with snippets of good fights etc.

###@@@###

I do not know when ( if ever) my interview with Soundwave will be published.  I’ve not seen a hint of a word about this and well I had patience once but I killed in and threw it into some garlic cream  sauce and it was good, but I have not found it again.

I am still waiting on Song Li from Missions Collide on the redux of the interviews we gave that got erased the first go around.

I am also still waiting on the hours of Video that Luminous Aardakay and Quivering Palm took to be uploaded.

…sigh…I will continue to wait.

As always friends…

“Good Hunting”  ~The Mule

###@@@###

Thanks to all the well wishers I really appreciate it

This is manasi’s 500th Post!   500 and counting and the first of many with NOIR!

 

kills in time

As I have departed CEPTA and await entrance into NOIR. I stumbled over this post : http://wtfims.blogspot.com/2011/04/killmail-ship-stats-what-do-yours-say.html. Ely had me thinking what in the last three years had I been able to do:

So I looked it up:

Kills:	833
Real kills:	677
Losses:	115
Damage done (ISK):	109.57B
Damage received (ISK):	5.94B
Chance of enemy survival:	14.52%
Pilot Efficiency (ISK):	94.86%

A couple notes: the CEPTA board does not count pods but sometimes they are more valuable than the ship.

Totals:

Ship class K L Assault frigate 14 8 Battlecruiser 171 6 Battleship 154 17 Black Ops 1 0 Cap. Industrial 0 0 Capsule 137 32 Carrier 4 0 Command ship 7 0 Covert ops 21 3 Cruiser 27 7

Ship class K L Destroyer 1 0 Dreadnought 21 0 Electronic Attack Ship 0 1 Exhumer 1 0 Freighter 0 0 Frigate 37 2 Heavy assault 27 4 Heavy Interdictor 8 3 Industrial 0 0 Industrial Command Ship 0 0

Ship class K L Infrastructure Modules 3 0 Interceptor 31 19 Interdictor 14 6 Jump Freighter 0 0 Logistics 31 1 Marauder 0 0 Mining barge 0 0 POS Large 17 0 POS Medium 0 0 POS Modules 24 0

Ship class K L POS Small 7 0 Recon ship 30 4 Shuttle 5 0 Strategic Cruiser 2 0 Supercarrier 0 0 Territory Modules 23 0 Titan 0 0 Transport 1 0

833 Ships killed (109.57B ISK)

115 Ships lost (5.94B ISK)

94.86% Efficiency (ISK)

Funny notes:

• I kill a lot of pods
• the only Exhumer (Hulk) was a pilot who irritated the piss outta me so I shot him down and gave him the cash for a new one
• I’ve ever lost 1 logistic ship that is a credit to the OTHER logi pilots not me.
• Only 1 Black Ops a Panther in Stain undocked and we burned him down rather quickly

From the CEPTA board we find the top 20 ships used:

	Tempest Battleship	155
	Apocalypse Battleship	134
	Crow Interceptor	68
	Stiletto Interceptor	57
	Hurricane Battlecruiser	53
	Jaguar Assault frigate	40
	Raptor Interceptor	40
	Cyclone Battlecruiser	34
	Maelstrom Battleship	29
	Broadsword Heavy Interdictor	25
	Harbinger Battlecruiser	20
	Stabber Cruiser	20
	Scorpion Battleship	16
	Rupture Cruiser	15
	Curse Recon ship	14
	Vagabond Heavy assault	13
	Muninn Heavy assault	11
	Dramiel Frigate	10
	Flycatcher Interdictor	9
	Sabre Interdictor	6

Not unexpectedly we find 4 battleships in the top 20

Tempest ~ Always with the 1400’s singing away.
Apocalypse ~ Burning holes through ships like no tomorrow.
Maelstrom ~ 800MM & some 1400 setups were used.
Scorpion ~ the Excellent jamming platform.

3 interdictor class
Sabre ~ A little two paper thing with two probe launchers but effective when needed.
Flycatcher ~ A tough fit as I do not have great missile skills and do not generally favor missile boats.
Broadsword ( Heavy) ~ excellent barrage spewing tanking Monster.

5 interceptor class
Crow ~ Fast nimble, quick, decent point range and balanced slots.
Stiletto ~ long range fleet support ‘par excellance’.
Jaguar( AF) ~ my AF rigged up to be a heavy tackler capable of very fast locks and good survivability.
Raptor ~ decent long range ‘ceptor I stopped using this when i switched to the stiletto.
Dramiel ~ OMG run ‘ceptor excellent ship double propulsion fittted monster.

2 Battlecruisers
Harbinger ~ laser for for battles when you have no clue how many HP a I-hub, etc has)
Hurricane ~ excellent heavy roaming boat, 425’s or 220’s she is a beast.

 

Not terribly bad for three years of work and a fitting testament ( especially considering I didn’t un dock a huge amount of times  in the last 8 months helping the Alliance)

TC for now and as always

“Good Hunting”

~TheMule

One thing to change

I have had some thoughts on changes needed to help balance the forces of the SC without tipping it over the edge in terms of usefulness.  i.e. giving the SC a role to play rather than have it be the master of blasting anchored objects.

Clearly SC DPS against anchored structures needs to be re-evaluated.

As I mentioned in my last post in claiming Sov, you really need just a handful of the SC’s to effects Sov changes as it stands now.  This makes Alliance level warfare nonexistent/ boring as hell ops while everyone waits for to 10-20 Super Carrier pilots to log in work for 7-10 minutes and log out again.

• The “stick” : Take away the ability for fighter bombers to attack structures that help claim Sov.  I-HUB, Stations, TCU’s, And SBU’s
• The “carrot”:  Let them dock at stations..maybe limit it to a certain number but let them friggin dock the god damned ships.

Eliminating the ability for the SC to attack sov structures shifts the dynamic BACK to Dreadnoughts, and actually gives them the role they were supposed to have. It also opens up the Battleships again.

Does it stops the SC from launching Fighters at Sov objects?  No it doesn’t, it simply takes away the bombers, in actual practice they might STILL be used to kill the dreads/Carriers (something they excel at doing to a carrier)/ other Super Caps, and Titans.

Thanks to Kirith who also has some Good Ideas that may help the sting of the ol nerf bat.

sovereignty for the uninitiated

 

For ROC..your buddy manasi

SO I will attempt to help some people out who have never ever claimed Sov in a 0.0 space in some of the basics and advanced tactics in claiming Sov.

Thanks to R for asking this question and helping remind me that MANY have no clue about sov mechanics.

The objects needed for Sov.

• (TCU) Territorial Claiming Unit ~ Claims the space on behalf of an Alliance
• (IHUB) Infrastructure hub ~ upgrades the space the upgrades are VERY large modules that you can build or buy and transported Level 5 upgrades CANNOT be jump freighter as they are too big ( on purpose)
• (SBU) Sovereignty Blockade Unit ~ anchored at a gate or several gates to contest Sov in a  given system.
• Outpost ~ a player built and anchor-able structure that does not ever die in game they simply switch hands from one corp to another (conquering ) corp

Here are some specifics about the TCU:

• Anchoring takes five minutes. On lining takes 8 hours. Anyone with the Config Starbase Equipment role can anchor/online this structure on behalf of an alliance.
• A TCU can be anchored anywhere within 300 AU from the sun in a system with the exception of within 50 KMs of the control tower of a POS. A beacon is visible on every players overview leading to the TCU, when it is anchored/online in a system.
• The structure is vulnerable to attacks while it is in the “anchoring”, “anchored” and “on-lining” states. An online TCU is invulnerable unless both of the following conditions are fulfilled:
  • Sovereignty Blockade Units are anchored and onlined at more than 50% of the gates in the system.
  • The sovereign entity over the system does not possess an Outpost/Conquerable Station nor an online Industrial Hub within the system.
• A TCU can be anchored in a system when sovereignty is being contested. It cannot be onlined if Sovereignty Blockade Units are present at 51% or more of the gates in the system.
• If the corporation which anchored the TCU on behalf of their alliance leaves the alliance, the TCU will go offline.
• An upkeep bill is issued to the corporation which anchored the TCU during the onlining period. If this bill has not been paid when the TCU is due to go online, it will instantly go offline and sovereignty will not be claimed. The TCU will have to be onlined again and the bill promptly paid in order for sovereignty to take hold.
• Both the Station Manager role and the Config Starbase Equipment role are required in order to be able to offline or unanchor a TCU.
• The CEO and the directors in the corporation, which launched the TCU, can transfer ownership of it to another corporation within the same alliance. This can be done from an option in the right click menu for the structure. All open upkeep bills have to be paid before the transfer is possible. Ownership of the Infrastructure Hub within the system (if present) will be automatically transferred at the same time.

One critical note about transferring sov:

“all upkeep bills must be paid BEFORE the transfer is possible”  When SYS-k merged with LR we paid 19 Billion to “absorb those systems” some had to be paid TWICE.  i.e. the bill had 13 days left and was unpaid the bill had to be paid up to current (by the current holder) , then transfer happened and we paid AGAIN (by the new holder)!

Some facts about the I-HUB

As Infrastructure Hubs must be destroyed by the attacker when conquering a system in order for the TCU to go vulnerable, they are provided with similar protection as outposts/conquerable stations are.

• Infrastructure Hubs are invulnerable to attacks unless SBUs have been anchored at more than 50% of the gates in the system.
• Infrastructure Hubs have a dual reinforcement timer like stations. A desired reinforcement exit time can be entered by the CEO and all directors within the corporation, which anchored it, through the Infrastructure Hub Management interface. Once put into reinforced mode, an IH will become invulnerable until the next time this desired reinforcement exit time comes up, plus 24 hours. An uncertainty value of +-3 hours is then added on top of this.

• The reinforcement timers for IH work as follows:
  • Once an IH reaches 25% shield hitpoints, it goes into reinforcement mode. During reinforcement mode, the Infrastructure Hub is invulnerable to attacks and cannot be remotely repaired. It will come out of reinforcement mode at 0% shield hitpoints.
  • Once an IH reaches 50% armor hitpoints, it goes into its second reinforcement mode. It will come out of reinforcement mode at 25% armor hitpoints.
  • Should the defenders be able to remote repair either the shields or the armor following the IH exiting reinforced mode, the structure will re-enter the respective reinforcement mode (shield/armor) when it reaches the right value again.
• When an IH reaches 0% structure hitpoints, it is permanently destroyed (including all installed upgrades).

Some facts about Outposts:

Stations are provided with protection in the form invulnerability when held by the sovereign entity over the system in which they are located. The invulnerability is broken should SBUs be anchored at more than 50% of the stargates within the system, but additional protection is still provided in the form of dual reinforcement timers in the case of this happening.

Stations only have reinforcement timers, when the station holder has sovereignty. If someone other than the station holder has sovereignty, or if sovereignty is neutral, then they are vulnerable to attack without SBUs being anchored at more than 50% of the stargates within the system.

• Outposts/Conquerable Stations have a dual reinforcement timer, one for shields and one for armor. The reinforcement timers work as follows:
  • Once an outpost/conquerable station reaches 25% shield hitpoints, it goes into reinforcement mode. During reinforcement mode, the station is invulnerable to attacks and cannot be remotely repaired. It will come out of reinforcement mode at 0% shield hitpoints.
  • Once an outpost/conquerable station reaches 50% armor hitpoints, it goes into its second reinforcement mode. It will come out of reinforcement mode at 25% armor hitpoints.
  • Once an outpost/conquerable station reaches 0% structure hitpoints, the ownership of the station changes over to the corporation, which the last player to damage the station belongs to.
• Players with the Station Manager role can set a desired reinforcement exit time for the station. Once put into reinforced mode, a station will become invulnerable until the next time this desired reinforcement exit time comes up, plus 48 hours. An uncertainty value of +-3 hours is then added on top of this.

• If no reinforcement exit time is specified, it defaults to 12:00 EVE time (noon).

Some Facts about SBU’s

In order to contest another alliances claim over a system, Sovereignty Blockade Units (SBUs) must be anchored and onlined at more than 50% of the stargates within the target system. Once SBUs have been onlined in this manner, any stations/infrastructure hubs within the system will become vulnerable to attack. When the sovereignty holder no longer possesses a station nor an IH within a system containing onlined SBUs at more than 50% of the stargates within the system, their TCU will become vulnerable to attack. Once the TCU is destroyed, Sovereignty will transition to a neutral state, and the next entity to successfully online a TCU within the system will conquer it.

Facts about Sovereignty Blockade Units:

• Anchoring takes five minutes. Onlining takes 3 hours. Anyone with the Config Starbase Equipment role can anchor/online this structure on behalf of an alliance.
• Anchored SBUs can be onlined by anyone, who has the Config Starbase Equipment role, regardless of their alliance affiliation. The SBU will change ownership to the corporation of the pilot, who onlined the SBU.

• SBUs are visible on every players overview once they are anchored.
• The structure must be anchored between 30KM to 150KM from a stargate.
• It does not matter who launches the SBU; an alliance can even disrupt their own sovereignty claim by onlining SBUs in their own system.
• SBUs are vulnerable to attack at all times, with the following exception:
  • When all structures within a system, which SBUs were causing to be vulnerable are in reinforced mode, all SBUs within the system will enter parallel reinforcement mode along with those structures. As soon as any of these structures come out of reinforcement mode, the SBUs will become vulnerable once more.
• If the amount of stargates within a system covered by an online SBU falls below 51% at any point during system conquest, the defender will be considered as having successfully defended their system and vulnerable structures (Stations/Industrial Hubs/TCUs) will become invulnerable once more.

Most of the info above was copied directly from the Sov Guide on evelopdiea but you have to KNOW how this works in RL

Uncontested system:

1. Anchor a TCU pay the bill immediately then you get billed every two weeks based on what you have/if you have an I-HUB.
2. Anchor a IHUB add in upgrade modules many module affect the price you pay in a given system and are cumulative.

Contest a system:

1. Anchor SBU’s at Greater than 50% of the startgates i.e. 3 gates must ahve 2 SBU’s.  ( as an aside SBU can fit in things like orca’s and maybe a transport ship or two but nor Carriers IIRC)
   1. Keep in mind they take time to anchor AND online and are very vulnerable when doing so.
2. Once SBU’s are online
3. attack the station once it hits 25% shields the First reinforcement timer kicks off 2 Days 18 hours was a popular timer…you have to kill 50% of it’s shield
4. After the station comes out of the 1st RF then attack again until it hits 50% armor then the second RF cycle begins (sometimes another 2 Day 12 hours sometimes 1 day 18 hours (you have to kill 50% shield and 50% armor)
5. After the 2nd RF period you start at 25% armor have to chew through 25% armor and all structure.
6. steps 2-4 are roughly the same for I-hubs as well
7. Once I-hubs and stations are down the TCU is THEN vulnerable
8. Destroy the offending TCU
9. Drop your own TCU
10. wait 8 hours to online it
11. Anchor a new Ihub
12. Rinse and repeat.

To block a conquest :

• anchor your OWN SBU’s,  at more than 50% of the gates
• Heal and I-hub/station above the damage needed to RF it
• Destroy the enemy SBU’s

This is the shitty Sov mechanic that not one person I have ever talked to likes enjoy or even grudgingly agrees is even sensible.

One of the main reasons is that Fighter bombers are so heavily used is their DPS against fixed targets is upwards of 10,000 DPS.  This should be changed to only allow fighters but that is another story.

Quick math: 10 Nyx max skills pilots  = 10K * 10 ships  or 100K DPS  or 6M DPM the shield of an I-HUB is 75,000,000 and they need to be knocked down to 37,500,000 for first RF cycle which means that they could RF a shield of an i-hub in 6 minutes 15 seconds or so.  The second RF timer is the tougher one as you have to chew through armor AND shield

Outposts are similar but the number are different 350million HP – 100m shields, 150m armour, 100m structure. so the magic first number is 75M so the same 10Nyx would require 11.5 minutes to RF, the second RF would require 25M shield and 75M armor, and so on.

With conventional fleets the fights take forever with SC on the filed it take minutes.

hope this helps ya ROC!

~Themule