My first of such people came from a conversation with a fellow pilot called Irongut, who was kind enough to throw me some coins, from the message of thanks i sent we got chatting, when he tells me he is a EVE Racer?
A what?
A race team member in eve?
He went on to explain how Gyra Rho was the character i needed to speak to about EVE racing and that she could explain all to me. Sounded very unique so off in search of the universal queen of speed.....
Instant Pain > can you tell me how this all started? what made you do the ISGC
Gyra Rho > Well, the League was actually started by Kaleigh Doyle as a part of the Glamour Syndicate, but as the conglomerate began to dissolve I started my own company and took the races with me.
Gyra Rho > I was the manager for the event beforehand, so it was a natural progression.
Instant Pain > whats your purpose of the races, i.e. why take the races with you?
Gyra Rho > EVE is and always has been about making your own fun. I like to make events for others outside the conventional boundaries. I saw racing as a viable opportunity for players to compete and prove themselves in a new and interesting way.
Instant Pain > i am interested in anything which isnt the usual in eve and i want to try find more such events and people as yourself, can you explain how the races work, how frequent and how many people play.
Gyra Rho > well, the project has grown considerably since a year and a half ago. The first race of the fourth season saw a record of thirty participants, and we're hoping to build on that.
Gyra Rho > As for how the races are conducted and all that good stuff...
Instant Pain > nice! must be a sight to see them all fly by
Gyra Rho > Yes it is...its pretty crazy
Gyra Rho > we have public forums with details about the league and the teams involved: http://www.pleasure-hub.com/isgc/index.php
Gyra Rho > also, the official thread on the EVE Online forums is...
Gyra Rho > lemme get it
Gyra Rho > http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=610255
Gyra Rho > The racing league channel is a good place to find help. If you like roleplay, I also host a channel called the Daredevil's Lounge...
Instant Pain > so whats the prize for me if i enter my punisher and win?
Instant Pain > only ship i own and has no fittings but im sure i will win!!
Gyra Rho > well, first of all, the league consists of 10 races in a season
Gyra Rho > in a single race, the prizes are dolled out based on the number of participants in each class.
Gyra Rho > you can fly in assault frigates, frigates, or interceptors.
Gyra Rho > as you progress in each race, you earn scores towards individual standings, and if you're a part of a team, for the team as well.
Gyra Rho > Those points add up during the season and whoever has the most at the end wins the grand prizes.
Instant Pain > :o so whats the grand prize?
Gyra Rho > well, right now...
Gyra Rho > the indiivdual prizes are at around 200 - 225 million isk per class.
Gyra Rho > and the team prizes are about the same.
Instant Pain > wow nice prize.
Gyra Rho > not to mention the four exhibition events nestled in between during the season.
Gyra Rho > for instance, next week, there's a 50mil prize for an industrial race.
Gyra Rho > all of that is provided by our sponsors btw.
Instant Pain > so how do you gain from this or dont you? (dont have to say if you dont want to) and whats your role? Choose the route etc?
Gyra Rho > I don't make any isk from this.
Gyra Rho > often times i lose :)
Instant Pain > :o you must enjoy doing it then
Gyra Rho > i do. Some people play Eve still because of the League, and that's pretty much why im here :)
Gyra Rho > my role...
Gyra Rho > I make the calls during the event if something happens, and i write the reports.
Gyra Rho > I also setup the races themselves.
Instant Pain > whats your longterm plan for the ISGC, what are you striving to achieve?
Gyra Rho > I also recheck the waypoints afterward to make sure no one cheats ;)
Gyra Rho > Well, I'm always striving to improve...
Gyra Rho > The goal is to make it a known sport in EVE, well known amongst the community with as many pilots as i can get to the events
Gyra Rho > because really, the racers make the events
Gyra Rho > I always try to find new ways of challenging my racers. Try out new aspects and see if they work. Most do...
Gyra Rho > for example...
Instant Pain > cool, well i will need to pop along and see a race happen, be anothing thing for my blog, hopefully maybe catch the eye of some new racers for you.
Gyra Rho > definitely. :)
Gyra Rho > you should definitely give it a shot :)
Instant Pain > hehe im alittle noobish at the moment, but maybe once i have read al my skillbooks ill come play
Gyra Rho > we also have a fun community of racers who like to help each other out as well.
Gyra Rho > Just remember...
Gyra Rho > that skillpoints, modules, and the physical aspect of racing are only secondary to the pilot's skills :)
Instant Pain > :)
Gyra Rho > you have quite an interesting project here btw. I didn't read through it all yet. Are you new to eve or just trying something original?
Gyra Rho > thats what i love about eve...it really rewards people for thinking outside the box
gyra Rho > mhmm, and its all about standing out.
Gyra Rho > when you're just one of 150, 000
Instant Pain > defintely
Instant Pain > break the mould, you never know your work in racing could lead to supporting game mechanics for your idea from ccp
Gyra Rho > Yeah, that would be quite a step. :)
Gyra Rho > we've had to adapt to game changes too.
Gyra Rho > we were there when they introduced warp to zero. Previous to that, the closest people could jump to places was 15km
Gyra Rho > seems like a small change, but it affected us in a big way ^^
Instant Pain > yeah can imagine, how did you over come that?
Gyra Rho > well, it killed one of the challenges (danger at the gates), so i added another five waypoints to compensate :)
Instant Pain > so the racers can be killed during the races? by pirates or each other?
Gyra Rho > Yes. Racers aren't allowed to pod one another, but they can destroy each others ships
Gyra Rho > some people use it as a valid team strategy
Gyra Rho > of course, pirates are not so forgiving
Gyra Rho > Plenty of lurk about, in addition to the npcs looking for easy prey
Instant Pain > :) extra spice to racing then
Gyra Rho > of course!
Gyra Rho > :)
Gyra Rho > danger keeps the pilots alert at all times ;)
Instant Pain > hehe i can imagine, and the team strategy sounds good
Gyra Rho > mhmm...we have some very organized racing teams too. If you do decide to race, you may wanna talk to one of the team captains. they will help ya
Instant Pain > well thank you for your time, i will read up on your site and eve post and will pop along to a race sometime, i honestly wish you all the luck under the sun.
I really liked the queen of speed and really like what she is doing for those people that participate. A real sense of passion for what she is doing was clear, and the way she adapts the comps to the eve changes ensures this passtime in eve should only grow stronger! Once i have some skills, i am going racing!! Sounds fun and unique, and from the team element i am sure more will be taking part as the idea grows!
With my new knowledge of EVE racing i am now on the hunt for other such unique events.....
