Spaceship Resumes

Every pilot has a resume. What they bring with them to the field. That resume is as long or short as the pilot chooses to make it. Like any resume, it is tailored to the corporation. It may be broad or narrow, shallow or deep. As the pilot ages they will expand inside of the corporation. They may outgrow it or they may grow into it. But the entire time, they have a resume.

Who am I? What am I? As I slide through my ship hangar that is a pressing question. How do I present myself? What do I present myself as? My abilities? My skills? Who is this Loki pilot? This SFI? Who flies this Slasher? If I love my Ares more then my Stiletto but fly my Stiletto more... will I Ishtar well?

What a player can fly and what they are able to fly are two very different things. The ability to activate a ship and undock in it does not equate to the ability to use that ship with any particular ability. This is most clearly demonstrated in a few recent incident when a player purchased a carrier without understanding the mechanics of a dreadnought. While it is easy to wonder what was going through their head the mechanics of Eve allow this through PLEX and the character bazaar. This is not a bad thing. Researching before throwing ones money is a very basic life skill.

Specialization is a commonly used term in Eve. Learn to fly something and learn to fly it well. Learn it inside and out. Put it through its paces until it becomes a second skin. Learn, learn, learn, learn. And after you learn it, then what? Some would say get better and others would say expand. It is up to the individual with where they want their path to go. That path will dictate. The most amazing frigate pilot in the game may be clueless in anything larger. That may also be fine. Pure, unadulterated joy may be found in frigates forever. But, our Eve lives tend to change and with that change tends to come new needs when it comes to undocking.

While I often babble about my Jaguars anyone who has read back into my history will know that I was a Hurricane pilot long before I became a Jaguar pilot. My Jaguar replaced the Hurricane for me after the Retribution Re-balance Battlecruiser Nerf/Buff. I am not unfamiliar with ships outside of frigates. My Sleipnir is my second most flown ship, I just PvE in it.

One of the bonuses of starting Eve during the time of Hurricanes and Drakes online was that I had to progress through the ships before I reached my Hurricane. I flew a Rifter, a Rupture, the Jaguar, and eventually the Hurricane. I didn't experiment into Heavy Assault Cruisers until after the most recent rebalance with Odyssey. Before that, the Cynabal was my goto cruiser for an in-between spot. Now, I lean towards a Large Jaguar (Vagabond).

Back before any of that, in high sec, I was into drone boats. Before my Sleipnir a Myrm was my goto ship for killing things and Chella was my main money maker. Times have changed as have my needs and interests. However, I'm fortunate that I've had a wide range of ships where I have put time and energy into learning their ins and outs.

I should probably fly Myrmidons. I need to think about that. But, that is an aside. Sugar has recently finished up Sentry Drone Interfacing V giving her access to T2 sentries. This opens up the corporations Ishtar comp for me. (As another aside, Chella should be able to fly a terrifying Dominix now since she has Gallente Battleship V due to the previous carrier requirements and her drone skills... I need to remember that...) I need to stock new supplies...

But there is a difference between specialization and being competent. I am a concomitant battleship pilot. I tend not to do overly stupid things, follow fleet directions, and in general not be a liability. I am not a good battleship pilot nor am I a specialized one. That is why I do not fly my pirate battleships (beyond the fear that Fozzie will nerf them so hard into the ground that I won't find them again I already cry for the Machariel...). I do not fly them because I have not yet spent the time in the hulls to get to the point where I can do justice to the hulls as an individual.

And what I can do as an individual I bring to my corporation. I can fly a battleship, but I am a Jaguar pilot. Still, I'd like to be more then a Jaguar pilot. Therefore, I am trying to stretch out into other things. I'm not doing badly at it. My resume is growing. I'm rather pleased. (We have not had a call for Large Lazorzzzz since I learned them but I'm not bitter or anything. Honest.)