After taking quite some time off from posting, due to a variety of reasons, the most honest being I wanted to play more than I wanted to write, I have put up a post (now two). This has not gone unnoticed by the likes of Wilhelm at The Ancient Gaming Noob and another sometime gaming partner, Potshot. So up front, thanks for the links, and thanks for the mention on on Shut Up We’re Talking, a great podcast for non-WAR fanboi’s. I saw a big spike in views once the links were active.
Now, on to the EVE madness. After getting back into the game I set a few goals for myself. The first and most important was (and is) making money. My Bantam was quickly replaced by an Osprey for mining and I progressed through a couple different missile platforms for mission running–although I avoided missions for a couple weeks, having been blown up on some of the noob missions. I am still unsure whether the first PVE experience in a game should be losing your ship and warping back to the station in your pod, the tears of shame and regret coursing down a virtual face. Perhaps it is foreshadowing. I did get the hang of the mission genre, and am progressing fairly easily now.
I am getting pretty close to a Retriever mining barge, and should in fact be flying that ship through some belts after my return from vacation next week. However, as a stop-gap and to increase the ore each cycle, I decided to deviate from the Complete Mining Guide and bought a Ferox class battlecruiser. While there is a mining bonus using the Osprey, the Ferox boasts six turrets for my miner II’s as well as an extra turret for a missile launcher and a 25 m3 drone bay. With a shield booster in place, this taxes out my power reserves but boosted each cycle by around 20%. I bring my second pilot along in the Mammoth and scoop in the loot.
The Ferox is so proficient a miner that I think my take in a Retreiver will be similiar. Doing what little math I am capable of, it appears the base cycle yield for two strip miner I’s is the same as six miner II’s, however the mining barge skills and upgrading those strip miners should bring in more ore.
I have joined a 0.0 corp, with bases in several systems, one of which is some 46 jumps through 0.0 space. I haven’t ventured out there yet, but have resolved to lose many ships when I do–hence my obsession with making money. I am within a few days of flying a Raven, and can put some basic fittings on the ship but will be looking for some good ECM modules before I run out to the first corp base.
If I can take screen shots while trying to escape gate camps, I may have another blog post.
Posted by Gaff 
