More Eve updates....

Lots of interesting information in the CSM minutes and a lot of talk on various sites about the implications mixed with lots of speculation.
Minutes for the meetings: Day One, Day Two & Day 3.

I do lament the lack of PVE content. So many mmo's clone idea's from other mmo's. STO and even WoW would give Eve a quick idea here and there on the value of progressive PVE content. But to have one team looking after both Faction warfare (PVP) and PVE is not a good thing in my view. My woes aside the minutes show the game will be made better and progress forward as a whole. That's still a good thing.
Of the CSM members that blog about their summit the go to for me is Sugar Kyle's blog, well worth the read.


With the o7 show back and on my mind, I read Eve Hermit's post on the show. In it he says "I’m still not sure if the lack of polish is endearing or not.", I have to agree. One thing that CCP does do well is preplanned video content. Any CCP video trailer has a good quality feel to it. Watching the show has it's ups and downs. It's hard to put into words, I sometimes feel a sort of .... geeky awkward facepalm. I really just have to scratch my head and wonder if doing a live show is worth it for them. A little editing goes a long way.

There has been a lot on the Eve blogs about the community and hostility towards developers and internal teams within CCP. There has been a lot said for and against but the best thing I've read wasnt' specifically about CCP or Eve online but this artcle in PC Gamer. Maybe this is a wider growing internet "thing".
People can say all kinds of things online, especially being protected behind an avatar, character, disposable username or e-mail. Even in Eve where a person "is" their character with a history. A lack of accountability can make people do a lot of things they wouldn't normally do in person.

Two bloggers had some interesting posts about the Eve online epic mission arc's. Eve Hermit here
 & NevilleSmit here.
I've not done an arc in a good while, maybe the SOE arc with my wife's trial last year.
Both my mains have completed the Amarr and Caldari arc's at least twice. Alts I think have at least done it once per racial background, so my Amarr alt has done the Amarr Arc once etc.
The null alt is pretty blank on being able to run any missions higher than level 2 for any faction outside of SOE level 4's and the level 1 SOE arc. I've only just gotten him to a level 3 agent on his way with luck to a level 4 agent and some "proper" missioning for his adoptive faction. The Gallente arc is a long way off for him.
There have been comments about how Eve needs to change to keep interest alive but I'm of a type that would disagree. Not that change needs to be stopped but that there does need to be a steady foundation that is the same. How else do you build anything on shifting sands.

The new patch notes are out and of interest. Eve Updates is a more user friendly version of those notes.


I really like that Battlecruisers are getting a lot of love. with luck the command ships will get some added tweaks. I also like the removal of "troll" ceptors, they were way too common an annoyance. Who wouldn't want to use the new bultibuy option. Or seeing new "better" station graphics.

Of really great value in this patch/expansion is the additional timers no more counting down those seconds in my head! The new probe scanning map to make it easier is a big welcome as well.
The new cruiser Burner missions are too "leet" for me and I'll be avoiding those with an extra dose of asset risk aversion. Or do it once there is a standardised omni fit..... so never.
Overall there are massive quality of life updates and enhancements with a PVE update that I'll never do.
Roll on the next patch.... Throne world invasions? I have a lot of pve hope at the implementation of that.

Star Trek Online....

I've been enjoying bouts of Star Trek Online over the last few month's. When I first started Star Trek Online I paid for it and with a friend enjoyed a few month's of gameplay. Now in it's sixth year the game is a lot different, for the better. Not only in being free to play but really worth playing and not just a gimmick to get ingame purchases. I'm not saying that there are not gimmicks, there are "oh shiny ship" moments. But I feel it is worth getting into and I feel worth buying into, although I have not done so(yet). There are people that share the opposite side of the argument and say how bad they think it is.
For me I'm happy with being a free to play-post subscriber. This status gives me some perks that are more cosmetic than anything else. The game faq says this:
"Q: I canceled my Star Trek Online subscription, but I'm interested in becoming a Silver Player. Will I have the same access to the game as I did previously?
Your characters are still available, but they may not be able to use all features that are available if you were to be a Gold Player. Additionally, Gold Members and Silver Players differ in Star Trek Online. A player who previously subscribed to Star Trek Online and then returned to game as a Silver Player will not have the same exact features provided to Gold Members."
My main character has levelled to within half a "ding" of level 60. He is a tactical class. So is all about shields and guns, even if technically he is more about buffs and debuffs.

The last push feels like a little bit of a grind.... so close.....

Free Ships and good mission rewards are worth having....

Even shuttle missions are fun almost STO lite encounters....

I've done a lot of missions within STO but there has been a lot of XP gained by doing the duty officer assignment missions. Very much in the same way that Wow has garrison missions. So it your officers work for you even when you are offline or on another character.

Each Dept. head has a separate set of missions that also change when you are in a different region.

Some missions can take 30 minutes, other can take 20 Hours.

Progress on the types of duty missions also enhance your stats.

The mission journal is separated into what I call permanent and current expansion (episode) missions on offer. Some are moved from the current/temporary status to the more formal list of mission(quest) chains. Like the Epic arc's of Eve online.
As I write the current featured episode is called "Midnight" and is the end of the current expansion/chain/arc.

I've enjoyed it and found it both entertaining and rewarding (in and out of game). I've completed the Klingon, Wasteland and Romulan entries and am doing the second last mission within the Cardassian series. I am really looking forward to doing the Borg and Breen episodes. I also need to complete the Solanae Sphere and Delta Quadrant Episodes as I've only touched on them slightly.
So lots to see and do. With being level 60 soon I'll be better prepared to buy items for in game credits/dilithium. Or as best as I can be as a Free to Play Player.
Unlike wow there is way less spamming for joining a fleet (guild/corp). But in joining one you do unlock access to other resources, points to earn and spend on ships etc.

I've praised this game a lot but the game does have it's flaws. Not just in the graphics being dated. Repetitive mission sequences such as space combat followed by ground combat followed by space combat. You can pace yourself and proceed accordingly. Unlike wow thankfully I've never come across the same "dungeon" set and least not that I've really noticed. Each area/planet seems to be unique.

When you die in game whether on a ground mission or in space you can always respawn. You dont' loose anything in doing so, more like wow and a lot less like Eve in that regard. This is a good thing but can be frustrating at times when you face off against an enemy that absolutely hands your caboose to you each time. This has only happened twice so far. Once in space trying to defeat a Romulan Empress in her ship that caused me to try, try, try walk away, watch some youtube clips, try, try. Finally watch a pro player on youtube, try, try again and win. It took a while but I was determined to get it done. Frustrating but worth sticking with it to get to more content. The other was a ground mission, my character alone in an arena. I faced off against waves of NPC's but could not avoid the attacks of the last creature, despite getting that foe down to 50%. With no team to help back me up and only a melee combat weapon this became frustrating. However I noticed on respawn that for a split second my class specific button to call in a security team was highlighted before being disabled. So on the next death I hovered my mouse over the button and almost at the same time as I hit enter to respawn and at the same time I spammed my mouse to click on the ability before it greyed out. And it worked!!!!! What had taken me 30 odd minutes to try and achieve was over in a few seconds. I dont' know what I would have done if I'd not noticed that "glitch" or had been of a different class. Probably would have been the same as before, try, walk away, try so meting different and try again. Maybe that old phrase is worth it.

Once you have completed a mission you can then go back at any stage and replay it. The rewards are based on your level so this becomes a thing once you are max level. Going back to get a reward that was good will give you that reward but at a better level than when you first saw it.

I can't recommend Brent Justice enough, his insights, his free to play, playthrough series on STO is a must watch and has helped me in my own gameplay of STO on so many levels. I look forward to seeing more on how a pro player for STO on a less pimped out free to play account tackles the gameplay.

These voyages are not done yet and will be entertaining for a good bit longer!

Eve Online moving forward....

The new skins and cloth's for eve's players and their ships only compounds the lack of Eve mystery code items to me. And how much of a cash grab CCP has on them. Long gone is the skin your ship stuff yourself.

Thankfully there is not all doom and gloom for me in the news. The new battlecruiser rebalance is looking to make all BC's return to their former glory. I hope that some extra love heads in the direction of command ships soon.

Good news for the clarification on new changes for the Citadels, Version 2 was posted and looks to be a lot better than this time round. I'm sure more changes will be incoming as things progress. Lets hope it's more tweaking rather than total change. I still have my hi-sec concerns for the NPC stations.

The o7 show was on last night and although there wasn't much for me to woop on about, there was a recognition that CCP Seagull needs to be front and centre with details on what is happening to the game. They have also recognised that there does need to be larger projects set as expansions to the game. Details are in this blog and the video that was shown on the show. A lot will be told at the next Eve Vega's event....

The problem with CCP and Eve is that they are constantly changing everything. They are building things on shifting sands but a better quote that sums up my feelings on they way they are developing things is this : "It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe." - Robert W. Service

 

Dust 514 - Amarr Challenge

The current event (details here) has goals that are thankfully well below the Krins salvage run.
Despite only getting in a few games over the last few day's since the events start I've gotten a few dailies done and about 15 of the 30 wins needed for the SKIN reward. The skin is the only thing I want from the event so the sooner I get it the sooner I can call it quits. This freebie is the only thing inspiring my gameplay in Dust 514 at the moment. Dust really needs more and I do think they are working on things to improve the game but i think it's at a point where it needs to move to a new place to really move forward.... hopefully that is a move to pc instead of a PS4...

Rogue Invader - updated trailer

Yet another on the keep an eye on list. There is some interesting news about Rogue Invader here from pcgamer.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada looks to be a detailed game, one to keep an eye on.

My Battlefield 4 Update....

I've been back to BF4 with a vengeance, putting in way to many hours of game play. I attempted to screenshot some bits but I decided to finally log into EA's Battlelog. It's been worth doing so as the images below are always gonna be better than my shaky cameraphone pics. I'm still thinking of that video capture device but the longer I wait the more unlikely it is that I'll get it... roll on XBOX One for Chrimbo.

The last few days has seen me level from 96 to 102, not to shabby.

As of writing I'm almost 103

One of the better options among the pile of info on the website is seeing what battlepacks are close to being claimed. That's just an open invitation for free stuffs! 2 kills here with this and 8 kills there with that, it's a motivator!

 

I'm not a player that loves the vehicles, I do use em and I do help out in them but they're not a first choice when on the battlefield. I much prefer to blow them up.

My current setups

I'm happy with the way my Assault, Engineer and Support fittings and setup, some minor improvements here and there as is usual for some circumstances.

 The class I play the most by a long stretch is the Recon. Usually as a sniper.
 

I've also used the Recon as a class that for the most part has leveled up the Carbine weapons.

My toss a coin carbine favourite is between these two...

And again for the Shotguns.

 
Before my Xbox Live subscription lapsed I had started on the last weapon group. I'd gotten a good few unlocked along with the other bits that go with the weapons. I've used these on Recon as well and oddly enough they are also a class of weapon that I've used with silencers. The DMR(Dedicated Marksman Rifles). 

Now that I've started playing again and just as the last surprise expansion of Night-time operations has been gifted I've found myself using these on the Recon as the best fit for the nighttime shenanigans. Everything has fallen into place. It's almost ideal. I'm truly loving the new game mode, night or thermal vision, silencers and a pinch of sniping. /faints :)

Of these DMR weapons I've been made good progress to level through the them. The SCAR-H SV is a great weapon and one of the last to be unlocked, it's my current rifle and what I'm using most for the new night game mode. However, there is one rifle that unlocks early with this class and I find it better than the SCAR. The SVD-12. Unfortunately for me I've not unlocked night or thermal scopes to use with it 'yet'.

For now I'm using the SCAR and it works but I know the SVD is so much better. So between playing fun night ops games with the SCAR I'm trying to unlock the packs that will give a scope I need... A night vision scope is good but a Thermal is better.... 

In rearranging my fits and gear I also found this knife, I'm not sure when it unlocked....

I broke out laughing when I saw it first! I'm really glad the developers have seen the funny side of their games through a great comic series. Glad they included it with the description. I've changed my Recon setup to have it :)

Another Eve chat....

The soundcloud below is from the new CSM site, and is once again about the new structures with CCP Nullarbor.

Battletech return....

Looks like there will be a new Mech (battletech) game. By the sounds of it it will be more along the lines of Mechcommander. PC gamer has the info here, as well as the video interview below.
The game has it's site here.

Battletech in all it's various game types is rich and very story driven. The timeline is a thing to behold.
This makes me want to break out my Mechwarrior 4 games (all 3 of them).  Being the nerd I will play them in release order. MW4: Vengeance, Black Knight and then the main event, MW4 Merc's. Not just because that was the release order but because the games improve and are so much better as they go on.
Starting with a predefined story in the first, onto a branch of that story in the expansion and then the true pinnacle Merc's lets you stomp around that universe as as true Merc company. Great great games.
Despite the first game being released in 2000 I think they still stand up today. The gameplay is great. I have had a lot of fun and love this period in the time line as well. The perfect end of Mech 4 for me after keeping my allegiance fairly balanced is with the Rogue Ending.
It's been a few years since I played them last. Not that long ago I used to have a replay of them over the Christmas holiday's. I might have to check these out again sooner.

HI-SEAS....

As much as I'd wish it, the title of this post has nothing to do with pirates. Or more specifically nothing to do with Sea of Thieves. It instead stands for Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation.
HI-SEAS is funded by NASA. It's currently started it's fourth and final project. I'm sure there will be a HI-SEAS II.
I've always had an interest with space faring as much as my interest in pirates. Perhaps in a more romanticised way for both. I've been nostalgic about the space race. I grew up with the shuttle missions, Mir, Hubble and the international space station. I wish there was more. The Mars one project may be the real deal but it all seems more rushed than scientific. There are some really good arguments and debates online and on youtube that put forward their cases. Besides all that... For a return to Earth and being supplied, a base on the moon first seems more practical. But I'm waffling on again..... Of the people in the habitat blogging about their experiences I've chosen one to follow http://livefrommars.life/. Interesting reading. The small details are the real interest for me. The enforced 20 minute lag time on the internet usage alone would be enough to kill me. Never mind any of the really important things :)

Eve Structures and changes....

Not that I'm a goon or a fan of the main man himself but there was a good interview from themittani.com. It's with CCP Nullarbor about the incoming structures and changes that is worth a listen.

It leaves me thinking that a lot of good is coming at the long term expense of the carebear lifestyle at least I feel for me. When I say carebear I mean almost everything in Eve bar pvp'ing. They seem hell bent on making everything in the game be at risk 99% of the time and 100% about the pvp. That's not going to be good for the hanger collection, the rare ships in storage. 
My minds eye keeps comparing the "long term" goal of removing npc stations with the current state of Customs offices. Timers all over the place, trolling times 1000, war decs galore. No room for the "little" guy or gal. Yea I'm painting a bleak vision but that's just me. I expect the worst. Imagine if Jita was run by a large alliance and took the profits. Like RvB do on the POCO scene.
The interview says it's a long way off and even for stuff that's a lot nearer there are still facts that need to be worked out.  I'm  paranoid about it. Despite all that CCP has been sating there is so much more unsaid in the fog of war.
I've invested too much emotion, time and money in this game to see that all wasted in radical changes that destroy the current gameplay. CCP will either pander to the masses or they may just take a giant dump on everything in "their" vision despite what everyone else says. What happened to them saying they would cater to all types of players. Then again what they say and what everyone else hears are two different things.

One Button Bob....

A small little game that caught my eye, One Button Bob.

Puzzle/platform semi scrolling game that lets you control Bob in different ways with the same one mouse click. Even the music is good :)

757... what was I thinking....

Eve Online TV show....

I'm very interested to see how the Eve Online TV show will change and transform to be shown to the masses.

Eve News 24 had this article, on from this one.

Wildstar is almost free to play......

Wildstar is a whacky MMO I've had my eye on. Now it is going free to play and those plans are nearly done it is gonna be worth a try....

wow site worth a read....

One site that I've read on and off depending on how into wow I was, is: BBB
That link is a good view of the Class Halls coming to wow etc.

I was stuck with my wow subscription auto updating for another 3 month's. I've cancelled it properly now but I'm at a loss not only from the cash but for what I can do with it... since it's paid for now I might as well try and get some sue out of it...

Eve is getting better looking....

Looks like a camera recording from a monitor but still looks like a good change....

Eve online news, the good with the bad....

The bad news is that there seems to be problems with the new Drifter incursions....

The good news is that the ghost fitting seems to be nearing a more deployable state....