Op over literally thousands of ISK of damage done- Sat 5th April

[Endie]

For the ADD crowd who don't read the rules, no podding and no non-consensual combat on the test server!!!

Right, since we seem perfectly capable of getting 30-40 people at once, let's do something a bit different this time.

When: Saturday April 5th 20:00 Eve Time
Where: FD-MLJ in Syndicate. This is on Singularity - The Test server

You can get the devs to move you to Syndicate.  Join the channel "moveme", read the rules then ask to be moved to FD-MLJ.  This means we can get there more easily and shoot stuff.  Set up your connections to the test server in advance!  Get your ships set up in advance!

The devs are fucking around and not answering the moveme channel.  Get in a shuttle and autopilot to FD-.  You can't be ganked on sisi so ending up with your pod doing the last two jumps thanks to rats is the only risk.  Don't wait until 20:00 eve time though.

Edit:
Test Server Howto: http://kb.eve-online.com/Pages/KB/Article.aspx?id=33
Test Server Rules: http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=253187
With thanks to Quinton

"But Endie, why on the test server?"

I'm glad you asked that.  You see, virtually everything on the test server costs a fixed 100ISK.  That includes everything from civilian gatling guns to dreadnoughts.  So you can fit out half a dozen battleships with those experimental setups you always wondered about and try them out in PvP, and every time you get killed you get ten thousand times the money back you just lost, from insurance.  It is a fun, risk-free way to try stuff out you've always wanted to.

Plus, you only learn Eve PvP by practising, and by either dying or getting away with it.  This is the ultimate in sandbox environments for learning in, yet it uses all the same techniques and skills as the real thing.

We will constitute about 20% of the entire server population at that point, and we'll likely have every system for 5 jumps in each direction to ourselves.   Since we're not in the non-consensual PvP systems, we'll be able to go for it all-out, and nobody can interrupt.

The big boys practise like this on Sisi, working out how to use new stuff and refine their tactics.  That's everyone from AAA and the Goons fighting carrier ops to Bob trying out the latest exploits their dev friends have told them over MSN 

There have been some server copies done recently, so your character should be pretty up to date with live.  Feel free to log on and spend a week training stuff that you fancy trying out, though.

"Sounds OK, but I demand player-provided content: entertain me, Endie!"

Fun will be included in the cost.

We'll play a few scenarios that happen in 0.0 and empire war warfare: each side can attack a gatecamp set up by the other.  We can give each side a shot at warping in on the other, where the defending side is set up in advance.  We might even try a "escort the haulers" scenario, where one side has to rep/defend a target against the other.  Stuff like that: variations on classic online FPS and MMO play :D  We'll also mix the teams up so there's no advantage there.

Anyone who fancies a shot at FCing will get the chance, and this is a great place to try it, since nobody gives a fuck about dying repeatedly.  In fact, some people will probably be frapsing their deaths for comedy lols.

Note that this is posted in the open forum, so all are welcome, and not just BAT/F13 members.

I'll update the thread with instructions on connecting to the test server, but it basically involves copying your client and adding a few characters to the shortcut.  It runs in parallel with your normal client.  Separate But Equal.  You'll also get to try out all the new stuff from each patch in advance, and once connected there are systems where you can jump in and fight any time.

All I need you to do is to log in at some point in the next ten days and set yourself up a few ships to fight in in the target system, when I post the final destination.

"Will it be fun, Endie?  I'm scared, hold me!"

I promise you: it will be awesome.  100% guaranteed fights for as long as we decide to keep going.

PS I just remembered it is my birthday that day so someone can buy me a 100ISK dreadnought or something.

Post here if you reckon you can make it.  Then I'll add a list.  Lists are great.  Slayerik likes pictures with the lists but I am too lazy.  Mainly it's just so i can tell the devs we'll have numbers there so they can reinforce the node.

Many go in, only one comes out:
Endie
Mook
Llyse
Nerf?
Sanctuary
Der Helm?
Quinton
Stephen Zepp
Hoax
Rath
Ateryu
Tragny
Kristie
Lac

[Mook]

You Sir, are a God amongst men. 

I'm definately be there. Just a quick question though, are you restricted to flying what you have skills for? A 100ISK command ship is all nice and good, but if I still have to spend better part of half a year training for it that'd be pretty 

[Nerf]

Books are 100isk but skill train times are still normal, and anything you started on sisi gets wiped next time they do a data dump onto it, so unfortunately you're stuck doing what you could do on tranq, just for free.  Which is still totally awesome.

[Llyse]

Does this include sweet baby jesus faction gear on the market at 100isk?

Time to make that 10km/s crow.... 

[Nerf]

Unknown on faction gear, although I hadnt even thought of this to test out suicide gank setups vs. different ships and different security status systems.

To the test server!

[sanctuary]

No, faction gear isn't seeded at 100 isk. All T1 and T2 items and all implants and hardwirings. High grade snakes anyone  Not sure on boosters, I haven't trained for them.

Endie I would like to join you guys, Joran Nexus is my ingame name.

[Llyse]

hell yeah!

hmmm SSSsss-Snake! 

[Der Helm]

Awesome idea, mad props Endie 

[Quinton]

I'm in.  Sounds like fun times.

[JoeTF]

Actually, we in BoB 'play' on Chaos, the dev server.

[Stephen Zepp]

Hey--if we push this past midnight, it'll be my birthday too :)

[Quinton]

Yow.  Getting setup on the test server was easy, but I have almost 1M fewer SP there.  I still expect to have fun, but it looks like I may stay in more of a frigate/tackler role on Singularity for the time being...

Some information that got me started:
Test Server Howto: http://kb.eve-online.com/Pages/KB/Article.aspx?id=33
Test Server Rules: http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=253187

[Endie]

Quick answers:

No, faction stuff isn't seeded, though stuff like faction ammo is often found around the main areas in Syndicate.  You can try out some pretty nano and other end-game stuff, however, by using implants and boosters.  It's also a good place to train up thermodynamics and try out heat.

Yes Sanctuary, this is open to all so it would be great to see you there.

No, Mook, unfortunately you are stuck with what you had in skills the last time they did a server copy, which is every few weeks in general, plus whatever you trained specifically on the test server since then.  The devs announced a "everyone is level 5 in everything" day about 6 months ago, and of course everyone tried to get onto the server which crashed and burned spectacularly*.  The test value of everyone being in a dreadnought was probably limited anyway (insert "Eve: Capitals Online" joke here).

*Meanwhile, sneaky Stimulus put our first POS into reinforced without being noticed.

[Hoax]

in.

[Endie]

Some other ideas for scenarios we can play:

Capture the Flag:
An anchored can somewhere in the system that must be probed down.  The winners are the ones who can unanchor it and deliver it to the ref (me!)  This one would need good offence, defence, the need to protect a hauler to retreive the can, probers doing their stuff, everyone running around scanning from planets and fighting each other etc...  An even split of people in BAT on each side who can unanchor the can is needed.

Last Man Standing:
What it says on the tin, and maybe a good one to do last.  The fact is, however, that by the end there will be a drake, a tanked abaddon and a crow, none of whom is capable of killing the others 

We'll not get a chance to do all of these, of course: I reckon four scenarios will be the most we'll have time for: a couple of practice gang fights like the gate-battles, and one each of two FPS-type scenarios.  I'll probably schedule them to start on the hour each time, and people should have lots of ships set up in advance so that dying just lets you jump into your next remount.

[lac]

An anchored can somewhere in the system that must be probed down.

You can't probe down cans, can you?

[Endie]

I thought you could, as of the last patch.  I'll double-check that, though, before running an impossible scenario :D

[bhodi]

I can confirm that you can, indeed, probe down GSCs in safe spots.

[lac]

Wops, my bad, I'll start practising right away :)

[ajax34i]

Careful about the no podding rule for the test server.  There's a sticky here that says they will just ban if they see it or if the logs indicate you've done it in the past.

So if there are gatecamp scenarios etc., care must be taken with the smartbombs.

[Morat20]

I can confirm that you can, indeed, probe down GSCs in safe spots.

Really? With Spooks and Fathoms? I don't think I've ever had one show up, but I think I limit myself to ships and drones when I scan.


Speaking of which -- my grand total is now something like 10 Hob 2s, 10 Hammer 2s, a slew of T1 drones of various sizes, and several pieces of T2 loot (including an Invulnerability Field II that just sold for 2.2 million ISK) that I took off the corpse of a poor mission runner who wasn't quite as good as his mission. I also took his drones, and salvaged his wreck for good measure.

What? I had a Helios+fittings to repay. It wasn't like he was using it anymore. :)

[eldaec]

I will try to get on, but this...

http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=601088

...says the test server database was last updated on 17th Jan.

And I didn't have a character at that point.

 

[lac]

Maybe we'll get lucky and there will be another update before the 5th.

[Quinton]

Maybe we'll get lucky and there will be another update before the 5th.

Isn't that JoeTF guy in BoB?  Could he ask the devs to do an update this week?  ^^

[lac]

If you ask nicely he will do the update himself :)

[bhodi]

If you ask nicely he will do the update himself :)

Zing!

[Logain]

How does eve time relate to say central or eastern timezone?

[Thrawn]

How does eve time relate to say central or eastern timezone?

CST is currently 5 hours behind EvE Time.
Eastern would be 4.

[ajax34i]

20 EVE time = 3 PM CDT

[Endie]

Good news: there seems to have been an update to the test server in the last few days, so everyone with a full account should be on there now!

Locations will be posted tomorrow night.

[Quinton]

Why haven't more of you slackers signed up for this?

The man promised us it will be awesome!  What more do you need?

- Q

[Tragny]

I plan to be there. Maybe with bells on.

[Mook]

Good news: there seems to have been an update to the test server in the last few days, so everyone with a full account should be on there now!

Locations will be posted tomorrow night.

Many thanks to our BoB members. Who said dev connections were bad.   

[Quinton]

Oooh.  The update is nice.
Zelle has 2,526,780 SP on the main server, 2,362,646 SP on the test server now.
Much, much better.

Thank you, BoB!    This gives me a lot more options.

[tar]

Why haven't more of you slackers signed up for this?

The man promised us it will be awesome!  What more do you need?

- Q

Well, it does sound good. I'm just not sure if I'll be available on that saturday. I'll make it if I can but the chances aren't high.