Weekend Update

Hello. I'm Spectre and you're not.

Caldari vs Gallente (Blaster Battlecruisers)

I realized after going over my skills the other day that I could be sitting in some of the Caldari blaster ships within just a couple days of training and that I already had all of the related support skills. Sure the Moa and Ferox are not quite up to par with the Thorax and Brutix but I have really grown to love shield tanking and variety is the spice of life... so I went and trained to step into my very first non-Gallente cruiser and battlecruiser. Last night they got their first action and it went rather well. I am especially fond of the Ferox... a more substantial tank then my Brutix, the passive recharge that comes free with shield tanking, more agile thanks to the lack of plates and able to apply damage a bit sooner thanks to the increased optimal range. I do lose a bit of DPS but you can't ask for everything. Let's compare...

[Ferox, Gank]
Damage Control II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Warp Scrambler II
Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II

Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
E5 Prototype Energy Vampire

Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I

Hobgoblin II x5

Now here is a very similar and somewhat popular shield tanked Brutix fit:

[Brutix, Shield Tank]
Damage Control II
Reactor Control Unit II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Warp Scrambler II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II

Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Neutron Blaster II
Heavy Neutron Blaster II
Heavy Neutron Blaster II

Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I

Hammerhead II x5

Let us compare some numbers using my skills:

Ferox vs Brutix

DPS with Faction Antimatter M Loaded (including drone damage)
470 vs 689

DPS with Null M Loaded (including drone damage)
390 vs 574

Optimal + Falloff Range in Kilometers with Null M Loaded
12.3 vs 10.5

Effective Hit Point Buffer
62,735 vs 47,901

Passive Shield Recharge Rate
91 vs 48

Now there are many, many other factors to consider that aren't displayed in this quick list. However, I think this is a good explanation of why the Brutix is much more popular among PvP pilots. It simply hits much, much harder and the optimal range bonus from the Ferox makes no significant difference when you are blaster fit, even with Null loaded. In addition, the Brutix seems to be a bit more flexible and is usually armor tanked with either a buffer or repairer, whereas the Ferox is really not going to succeed with a an armor tank. The Ferox has fewer low slots and you almost have to use at least two or three of them for magnetic field stabilizers to make up for the lack of ship bonus to hybrid gun damage. There is a lot more we could compare but I'll just stop there and say that while both are quite formidable battlecruisers, the Brutix probably has a bit of an edge in overall effectiveness and flexibility.

Friends?

The code between pirates is a very precarious and unpredictable one. It can be confusing at times but there are advantages to everyone having short memories and being willing to band together when the situation calls for it. We have recently had our biggest in-system rivals joining forces with us for targets of opportunity as well as some members joining our public chat channel (which is "Python Public" for anyone curious). At first it just felt absolutely bizarre. These pilots that we despised for hiding behind sentry guns, scrambling us in highsec, using log-in traps, baiting, camping and doing virtually everything they could to gank our pilots. I had drawn pictures of what I imagined they looked like. Fourteen feet tall with big nasty teeth and wearing human skin for clothing. They communicated using clicks and whistles and ate poor little newborn baby children. After speaking and flying with a couple of them it turns out... well... they're just normal people. How dissapointing.

Last night I was roaming around our local region in my brand new Moa. Everything was very quiet and most of the systems were all but deserted. After arriving in Passari and ganking pretty much the only ship out in space, I noticed a single Carebear Stare member docked up and in local. Yakovv is a pilot who joined after I had been removed and in the past we have had a few less-than-friendly discussions in local chat about which one of our corps is a bigger bunch of blobbers (the usual sort of trash talk). Being bored and wanting something to kill, I contacted him to see if he wanted to work together and camp one of the busier gates in the region. After a few minutes he agreed to fleet up with a few Python Cartel members and myself and we got down to business. He joined us on voice communications and it turns out he was quite a friendly and nice guy. In general I had liked a lot of the Carebear Stare pilots and it was a shame that things had not worked out between our corp and theirs... perhaps this was a good stepping stone to improving relations? We continued with our camp for a short period of time and managed to nab a few good kills before another one of PWNT's members logged on, a director named Gunner Cid. Yakovv seemed distracted for the next few minutes until he let us know that Cid had told him he could not be ganged with us and that the next time Yakovv saw us he would have to shoot us. Our gang disbanded and we left the system a bit dissapointed that our good time with our new friend had been interuppted.

I am pretty baffled once again by the response that The Carebear Stare has given us. I don't understand what we could do to be anymore pleasant and forgiving to a corporation that has snubbed us multiple times with pretty much no reason or explanation. I would love to make a point using less words and more pew but they are smart, well skilled and well equipped. Our rag-tag band of newbs cannot compete with a well established and entrenched corp that flies Tech 2 fitted battleships, carriers, dreads and where several pilots have Falcon alts. Frustrating to say the least.

EDIT: Shortly after this post went up, Gunner Cid and Htrag of The Carebear Stare contacted me to clear things up. The reason they are asking their pilots not to fly with us is to try and keep the line between our alliance their their corporation clear. I have resolved to try to not take alliance/corp politics quite so seriously in the future.

Misdirection

I was going to write a nice story here about how we almost got tricked by a band of merry frigates into ignoring a freighter flying through Aurohunen. That being said, I am tired so I will just link to Skye's wonderful post about the same events instead.

That's the news. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.