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Of ISK and Youth

I've been remarkably unmotivated this last week. A bit of a mental hiatus it would seem. I let a lot of my workload, outside of my store slack off for a little bit and spent my time reading for the most part. I even watched a few episodes of game of thrones and as a book reader walked away with a list of random complaints.

Anyway, mostly I have been thinking about ISK. I've made very little of it this month, personally. I like to point out that TCS's income and my own are two separate things. I made about 600 mil right after Odyssey deployed, days before the decryptor and salvage markets crashed under the bulk of vast, new riches. I've made about 100mil off of blink (it hasn't been a good blink month for me) and that is about it. Most of what I have done is spend my ISK on ships. I have a tendency to build 2-4 of any particular fit which tends to spiral my cost rather quickly.

I have a tendency to fly somewhat fancier ships these days. Jaguars are a T2 ship and ranging from 24-30 million ISK each these days in comparison to the Rifter that it is based off of that is a 400k ISK investment. That does not include fitting. Fitting my Rifter and fitting my Jaguar are very similar tasks when it comes to cost. My Jaguar has a bit more room to add more things but those things do not necessarily have to be more expensive. The reason I fly a Jaguar is because I tackle things on gates for my fleets. I need the EHP of the Jaguar to stay alive and I still sometimes lose them to gateguns. I lost one holding a tackle longer than I could live through earlier this week.

On the forums, in the new player area, there is a thread where someone confesses that they are terrified to go to lose sec and die. People give them the advice to get into a fast, agile frigate and give it a try without much loss. They went in their cruiser and instantly died, reinforcing that low sec is evil. However, I'm not worried about them. They failed to listen to the advice given. What was interesting is another new player posting in the thread.

He said:
"I do think however that when vets say 'do some research before you go into losec', what they mean is 'wait till you're a few months trained/rich'.
If someone could suggest a Tristan fit that would cost less thsn 20mil and 600k SP which will give me a fighting chance in losec, though, I'll be game for giving it a shot!"
I decided to write a reply based off of the second half of the above quote. However, both pieces are interesting subject matter.

The first is a completely incorrect interpretation. Most people suggest that a player does not wait but immediately plunges in over their head into low sec. They simply suggest they do it in the cheapest method that they can sot hat when they do lose their ship it barely hurts. The reason is to get them past the hurdle that many never cross where they are to scared to leave high security space and they are waiting for just a few more skill points to be ready.

When you are brand new and in your first few weeks you rarely have implants, you don't have clone costs because your skill points are under 900k, you have zero fitting skills and ISK so your frigates cost 1 million ISK at the most. It is the perfect time to get over the fears of the unknown.

The second part twines into the first part. What is rich and what is 'a fighting chance?'

Rich is defined by the individual and no one else. I know pilots whos wallet struggles to stay afloat but they are still happy to take their ships into battle time and time again. I have learned that many, many pirates are ISK poor. They may be asset rich but rarely as they ISK rich. And they are okay with that. Their ISK just gets them into the ships that they use to play the game.

Wallet waiting helps no one. Now, there is being stupid with your finances in this game. That is why the recommendations are for T1 hulls with simple, basic fitting if one is going to go out and explore. It also links into the second half of, "a fighting chance."

What is a fighting chance in Eve? It is often confusing to the new player that starts in the free noobship and moves to a frigate to comprehend the fragility of the larger ships they see roaming around the game. Those ships are so much bigger and so much more expensive they must be better. It must be simply a matter of upgrading your ship and the world will become your battlefield.

If only it were so neat as it seems in those first few days and weeks. My response to him was that no one can give him a fit that will give him a fighting chance in low sec because they do not know what situations he may come across. What people try to suggest is reasonable fits but even then, no one can predict what will happen. A blob, a blops, a more talented pilot with the understanding of the game mechanics? A gatecamp, a roaming gang all of these things can happen.

There is nothing that explains that. Nothing at least but the populace of the game. When you undock in a frigate it is not a guaranty that you will only encounter frigates. No matter how well fit you are, you may still be sniped by a Tornado on the undock. That is the good part of Eve. The fluid, unpredictable aspect of the game. I know I hate landing on a gate, with a fleet, and knowing that the chances of me making it off the gate are slim to none. Yet, I still try to make it out of the situation. I still cheer at my small successes even as I die.

ISK does not guaranty a win. Nor does it guaranty that someone is ready for something. ISK is something that a player will find it easier to make as they get into the game but it is something that not everyone will fall in love with making. ISK is something that some will never be able to hold onto for spending. ISK is something that can inhibit as much as it can assist goals and the future.

Comments

  1. I used to train new players for lowsec. And I mean new in the sense of two-hors-old-new. My first step was "Jump into a fast frig, whatever you like and follow me". We went into low, hopped the belts and I let him loot the wrecks, even splitting faction loot etc.
    Leasons learned: Lowsec loot is valuable (A meta 4 DCU is a treasure for a three days old char) and lowsec isnt that dangerous.
    Second step: Choose a Cruiser you like. Whichever looks fine to you. Allright, here is a skillplan. Within a week you will be able to fly it reasonable and you will be able to rat yourself some money.
    From there on, most of them do the rest themselves. Even going so far as plundering C2 WHs with two chars both a month old in T1 fitted BCs :D

    The message: Most newbies just need and older bro giving them this first "Its not that bad here" experience.

    ReplyDelete

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