Oh...Mi...God... NULL!!! (plus a discussion at the start that I didn't initially intend).

So... EVE. EVE, EVE, EVE. What am I doing in this hell and heaven of a game? To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing. It's such a broad game, with seemingly ENDLESS options, and so many that emerge in my always changing and upping skill queue.

Naughty Cargo is a young character, with low skill points in comparison to most of the people I associate and fly with. This has been stupidly apparent of late. It doesn't matter how happy, or positive or helpful you are, or even how hard you try or how much you learn. Being committed to something and working towards it- and trying- doesn't give you more ships, skill or options. It makes you look better, sure, and shows you really want something, but that's the thing. It's to WANT something. It doesn't get it to you.

Most of you reading probably already know about my situation. I mentioned it in an earlier blog, and if I haven't ranted about it to you, you're probably lucky. haha. Yes I had a few down moments, and wanted my view to be shared, but *shrugs*.

The short of it is, I need to learn more. I need to be able to do more, fly a broader range of roles and ships, and be able to really contribute to a fleet. I need to be able to be good at lots of things, not just great at one thing, and even then, I have my good and bad moments.

At the current time, I see myself as 'bludging'. Skills take time, and its frustrating to just have to loiter, waiting for the moment you hear that strange, techno-ey, yet welcome voice say 'skill training completed'. But its what you have to do. My problem is the time though. Look at it from my view:

I'm skilling up, trying to catch-up, be able to be on the same level as my HOPEFULLY future corp mates. But the thing is, everytime I up a skill, they've done one too. Yes, the skills take longer as you up your skills, but its a constant thing. For example, by the time I get up to something like cruisers, they're all on battlecruisers, doing all sorts of wacky things with them. And I'm the little guy again. (Not literal, but its just an example). ARRRGGHH!! When will it end? I'm trying, and giving it my best, and that's all I can do. I guess we'll see where it goes.

I have an idea on how I can sorta possibly get closer to the corp, but that depends on Titus and/or DP (if they ever get back to me. Haha)

Anyways, I didn't write this post to rant or anything. It just happened, I swear. I started typing and it spilled out. So I'ma leave it there. I WAS going to talk about the interceptor roams that Altaen has started taking out. (I'd tell you exactly what they are for, but I'm not sure what I can and can't share, so to be on the safe side, I'ma leave it and ask someone later.)

They have been very long roams, that I've actually really come to enjoy, and have taught me a hell of a lot about flying interceptors. An organised chaos of sorts. Essentially, its broadcasting a system, then Altaen saying 'best speed to...' and then if we find something on the way (whoever jumps in system first scouts, essentially), we stop and try and shoot it. Sometimes people break off to other systems, or wander off into other places, or all get split up, but invariably, we all end up in the same place- mostly if there's the smell of fresh prey on the wind.

I'm loving these fast, chaotic, but organised fleets. I'm starting to really love the Stiletto (I thought my Jag was fast!? XD), and I'm getting better at flying them. I can tell, because I'm dying less.

I've been on three fleets in three days, the middle one super stupendously long (it went across maybe 6 regions, with overlapping in places, and not small regions either- it was about a 5 hour roam!), and each time, I've survived longer.

The first roam was officially my first roam into null. I heard about the roam on comms, and instantly jumped into a clean clone. I seriously need another few clones, but that's a convo for another day. Anyways, put together my fleet doc letto (thanks Sug for the fit), and we all set off, hastening through high sec to god knows where (I can't remember specific locations- Null system names are hard to remember... obviously. XD).

It's fun running through high sec, with the boys posting gifs as we go, trolling the carebears. Diz in particular has fun, randomly choosing freighter pilots from local and pointing them out, saying things like '_______ don't think we've forgotten you...' or 'we're watching you _____'. It's very funny, and sometimes I wish I could loiter in local and see if they respond. But alas, it is high sec, and there's no WAY I'm losing at inty to CONCORD.

By the time we reach our dest system, everyone's pumped up and ready to go, ready to get right into it. New broadcast, and then... GO! Everyone sets off quick speed, and before you know it, there's people everywhere, all heading in the same direction, always looking out for a fight, all subconsciously racing the others through system, seeing who can get there quickest... or maybe that's just me :P

Anyways, first fleet of the three, I was the nervous little nooby- had a brief freak out 'OMG what am I doing?!' in the Coop, where Diz and Naoru reassured me, and I decided not to inform comms that I'd never done this before. Everyone knows I'm a noob... no point reminding them why we don't all have the same TICKER. xD I ended up making it to the third engagement, where my computer decided to lag under the stupid big amount of people on grid (it was a goon fleet I think), and I ended up getting scrammed, shot and podded, all before I could blink- or before my computer could respond. That's what I get for getting involved in a big, damn null war. XD

Second fleet was the stupidly long one, and as people started heading off for bed or food or other things, I stayed, in the end making it only about 5 of us. The roam went for 5-ish hours, in and out of null, hastening through high sec occasionally, jumping across I don't know how many systems (I wish there was a feature you could look at where you've been recently). I ended up making it maybe 4 and a half hours, dying to a bunch of I can't remember what they were, but something that outnumbered us in man and gunpower. Inty's aren't known for their DPS output :P I was rather proud of myself for surviving my longest roam in time and jumps to date though. :)

Third roam, I survived the whole thing! Admittedly, I was a hellofalot faster than my previous fit- using one of Sugar's instead of the fleet doc one, just for a change (it had 59 as opposed to 50 DPS unheated :P). Also, I got incredibly lucky in that, not being in 7-2, I had access to stations, so was able to rep. One good thing about not being in the corp. There was one funny moment that someone was freaking out in local as we came through, and declared one of the others alts as with us, just to make sure it was extra clear (all in capital letters mind you). He failed to mention me though, so leaving system, I politely said in local 'Naughty Cargo is totally harmless'. Next system, I get a bounty put on me, and get added as a contact with a negative status. Go figure :P I'm sure I can't use those stations anymore. Oh wells. ^.^ Was fun while it lasted.

So.. what I've learnt- I am better at managing MWD's and Afterburner, plus long point and short point. I know how to effectively switch between the two, and what to do if I get pointed- burn like hell. I no longer panic, and keep my head, making sure I get out. If I can't, I know how to get the pod out- unless they're stupidly skilled. I've learnt how to keep range when needed, and how to get close up otherwise, too quick for them to shoot back. I've learnt about the different types of ammos more, and how each adds to a fight. I have learnt that null is fun, no gate guns is fun, and the 'shoot anyone, no matter how big' mentality is fun. Yes, you still get the retards, same as anywhere, but you don't have to deal with carebears or pleesmen. Its very refreshing :)

It's just one element, one part of EVE, but its something I've tried, learnt from, and am now better at. I'm not pro, I'm not great, but I'm good. I know how to roam in fleets, I know when its okay to talk and when it's better to shut up. I particularly like that my positivity in comms is noted- its what I try for :) I'm still learning, and will be for a while, but for this brief moment, I'm going to be proud of what I've achieved.

Thank you Altaen for throwing me in the deep end. ^.^

AUTHORS EDIT: My idea for closer to corp was to add my corp to Feign Disorder. Apparently, its exactly the same process as one would go through to apply for 7-2. Same app, same people making the decisions. *shrugs*. Oh wells. Had nothing to lose by asking.