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EVE Evolved: A guide to roles in fleet PvP
It seems as if every time the topic of PvP comes up in an EVE Online news post or article, a few people will chime in with stories of their horrible experiences with it. This seems almost baffling to me, as I would say EVE offers the best PvP experience in the entire MMO genre. It soon becomes apparent that we aren't playing the same game and that their experience is one of helpless newbies being ganked by evil blobs of bad guys. If that describes your first few days in the depths of space, you may well have missed out on some incredible fights. For me, PvP in EVE means fleet warfare; it's all about co-ordinated groups of players hunting around the map for other fleets they can probably defeat while avoiding all the larger fish that will swallow them whole. The players on PvP ops are always itching for action, but a good fleet commander will carefully weigh enemy fleets and be sure to engage only when he thinks he has the upper hand. Figuring out ways to fight above your weight or look weaker than you are play an important role in the PvP metagame, turning EVE into a kind of intergalactic game of poker played by fleet commanders using their pilots as betting chips. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at all the different roles that make a successful fleet and what you'll need to fill that role.
How to kill a flag carrier
We've spent the last few weeks talking about Warsong Gulch and how to be a successful flag carrier. This week, let's talk about the most important skill for everyone else: how to turn that flag carrier into a greasy spot on the ground. These skills apply relatively equally to Warsong Gulch, Twin Peaks, and even Eye of the Storm. If the enemy has a flag, you want to kill them.* Let's remember that the entire other team will (should) be protecting their flag carrier. That really leads to the basic strategy here -- how do you kill that one dude when 10 other folks are trying to keep him alive? It's not as hard as you might think, but it does take a little forethought. *Unless you're in Eye of the Storm, in which case: Get the damn towers.
How to carry the flag in Warsong Gulch
Last week, we talked about some basic strategy for Warsong Gulch. We ran through the basics, the general flow of the fight, and how you (tend) to win it. One subject came up a bunch in the comments and landed in my email box a few times. That question: How do you run the flag successfully? It's no surprise that's a contentious issue. Without debating the fine points of who should be running a flag, I think we all agree that being the flag carrier is an incredibly vital role. Touch the flag and you just became the focus of 19 people in the Battleground. There's a little more to the job than just mashing a particular cooldown, so let's take some time this week to talk about strategy and tips.
Engadget Podcast 164 - 09.27.2009
It's been a crazy week in news, and after a couple cross-country flights the podcast crew is together and ready to break it all down. Join Josh, Paul and Nilay as they take on Microsoft's Courier tablet concept and rumored Pink smartphones, dish on the HTC Leo and Windows Mobile, debate the finer points of net neutrality, and talk over the highlights from the Intel Developer Forum and the Tokyo Game Show. Yeah, there's a ton here -- grab a snack and tune in! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Today Hear the podcast 00:02:34 - Microsoft's dual-screen Courier booklet emerges, isn't near production00:06:18 - Codex and InkSeine -- the roots of Microsoft's Courier?00:33:30 - Microsoft's Pink phones revealed?00:43:00 - HTC Leo looking confirmed for O2 UK debut, will be free on the right plan00:46:20 - Steve Ballmer talks 'three screens and a cloud' and more with TechCrunch00:50:00 - Ballmer: Windows Mobile 7 should have been out, like, yesterday00:55:58 - FCC chairman formally proposes net neutrality rules00:58:45 - AT&T, Verizon poised to fight FCC's net neutrality stance on the wireless front01:10:00 - AT&T's 3G MicroCell tested and reviewed by Charlottean: yes, it works01:13:56 - Intel announces Moblin 2.1 for phones01:18:07 - Dell announces Moblin Mini 10v at IDF (updated with pricing)01:17:25 - Video: Moblin 2.1 for MIDs and phones, sort of in action01:21:15 - USB 3.0 has a SuperSpeed coming-out party at IDF01:22:44 - Video: Intel's Light Peak running an HD display while transferring files... on a hackintosh01:28:40 - 13 PS3 motion control games confirmed for next year, motion-enhanced Biohazard 5 coming Spring 201001:30:03 - Nintendo finally confirms new $199 Wii price Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
EVE Evolved: PvP masterclass - Fleet warfare
Fleet warfare in EVE Online is a big step up from the small, casual PvP gangs discussed in last week's PvP Masterclass article. In this guide, I explore the day to day activities of EVE's largest combat machinations, from 30-man faction warfare gangs to 300-man territorial fleets. In stark contrast to a small and highly mobile gang, a large fleet is a lumbering hulk that favours combined firepower and good co-ordination over all else. Massive fleets of hundreds of pilots routinely clash in the outskirts of EVE's lawless 0.0 space. But when they move at the speed of their slowest member and are really only as good as their fleet commander, what can you do to make sure your fleet is a success?Fight-by-numbers:The essence of fleet warfare is that using more ships is usually better. By focusing all attacks on one enemy at a time, a larger fleet has a very high damage potential. It also allows a more diverse range of ship types to take part in the fight such as an electronic warfare wing or sniper squadron. Forming a large fleet usually requires some planning and co-ordination, making them less suited to casual PvP and more suited to organised assaults on specific targets like POS.Read on as I tackle the question of how to make a fleet effective from the perspective of both the fleet's individual members and the fleet commander.
Bulky peripheral offers NES gaming on the go
Now here's a neat idea! Gaming on the go! Why, we've never heard of such a thing!In all seriousness, the FC Mobile doesn't look all that bad. Sure, anyone can enjoy their Game Boy Advance or DS on the subway, or even take Chrono Trigger through its paces while stuck in the car on the way to Grandma's house, but it takes a real pro to whip out something like this. Or someone who doesn't like to have multiple gaming platforms available on their handheld.[Via Technabob]
Parasitic device adds baud modem tones to your wireless router
For those who are lucky enough to have only known the internet care of broadband, you might be a bit unfamiliar with the pings and screeches of days past, but for those all too familiar with dialing up in an attempt to hop on the world wide web, you could probably hum it back on command. In yet another instance of DIY creativity being used in a completely unnecessary (albeit very retro) manner, Jonah Brucker-Cohen is developing the Forward Compatible, which is a "parasitic object" that utilizes a light sensor in order to sense when a modern day modem / router is transmitting data, and subsequently belts out tones from a 2,400 baud modem from yesteryear. The FC is also designed to simply strap onto any internet-connected device without internal modifications, making it completely portable and universal in nature. So if you're interested in adding a dash of vintage to your otherwise fresh device, grab yourself an audio recording circuit, a photo-transistor, and tag the read link for a bit of old fashioned fun.[Via MAKE]
