0.7 :: Speed Freak

This week has been quiet, i am still currently trawling through skill books trying to get myself alittle smart and maybe able to add a module or so to my lovely ship! So in the meantime, other than whizzing round the empire universe looking at the beauty i have been looking at those people in eve who are little different and trying to offer new elements to the game.

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.....

0.6 :: Heading Out

Well time has come to kiss rens goodbye and head out looking for my next home. The stay in rens taught me the importance of sitting outside stations, the can taking thing to get fights.... rens 911 like that a lot. And it was a chance to meet some interesting people, but i cant sit in Rens all the time and since the folks decided I'm a mini specialist now i decided its best i get out there and meet my people.


First stop Ammold, no idea why i chose there, it was just a random click, so lets see what that system has to offer! Lets hope the locals are keen to meet me, and hope they have some of those exotic dancers to welcome me.


While travelling the few jumps from Rens to Ammold i decided to join the local minmatar channel and speak to a few of my type about what books i need to read to become a top gun pilot...! Some nice folks in the channel seemed interested in what my little journey was about and commented that i should go a visit the sights of eve.... (had no idea what they were on about, prayed they meant a strip club or something)


With a few settings on the map there stood a list of places which supposedly held unique landmarks of eve... each one linked to the historic times. So that was the plan... visit each one in the universe and collect evidence of their existence. Bring this evidence back for those who havent seen them, part 1 below:

EVE Landmarks Part 1:

Araz :: Carchatur Outpost

Araz :: Imperial Palace

Audesder :: Alliance Military Barracks

Audesder :: Miltary Brigade

City Of God.

EVE Gate - Messages Left From Travellers

Some are really quite old!

EVE Gate - Trying to leave isnt possible!

Fort Kumar.

Golgothan Fields.

Roids camp gates in some places of EVE?

Almost bondfire night!

The Myridian Strip.

More pending.... just take my little ship time to cross universes!!

0.5 :: Book Smart

Since meeting the locals of rens i have realised that i seem to be missing out on a lot of grey matter power. People keep talking about books, and when i pipe up with things like the "God Delusion is a fantastic read about the role of religion in the current world" they tell me to shut up :(

The reaper incident (yes still ain't over it) has caused me to question the power of ones mind, and the beneficial effect of sitting watching people dock and undock is having; So what is the solution, other than sudoku!

Learning skill was the common advice on where i need to be starting, and once i have mastered that i shall be reading like Johnny 5 from short circuit, and then i need to work on my attributes? - single Male, GSOH, 32 waist, blue eyes, brown hair!

So that's the plan, bash through the books then set about improving my attributes.

My head plugs, which was another local rens tip, are meant to speed things up for me, by boosting my tadpole brain to that of a common flea! I am now carrying round 5 little heads inside my own head all giving me +3 power. Stephen Hawkins will have nothing on me soon.

A few firsts:

1) Bought my first skill books in learning; that have been paid for using some donations! (thank you all)
2) Received my first combat ship!! Mr Blitters gave me a punisher (such a sweetie)! Havent got anything on it yet, nothing fits or i am too thick to use it!
3) I got head plugs! - power of my new mini minds!

Other than that its been a bit quiet on the fun people front, everyone seems to be busy in the "cosmos gang bang" which was the comment to me from a Goon member, involving his 5000 mates bashing up a man called Bob! Sounds unfair but this Bob fella must be one of them roid types, or have really upset these folks. Either way something i will need to involve myself with when the time comes.

Voting is almost closed on my skill direction so at least soon i will know where i am heading in EVE. Once i have a race i shall begin meeting my people, and flying round to each of there systems to introduce myself personally! My journeys are still waiting to start but with the grey matter now being worked i am starting out on the right foot..... the time is coming to wave rens goodbye!

0.4 :: Meeting the Force

Few days to go on the voting before i even know where i begin in eve. So like a little sad panda im sat in Rens still, doing what i have learnt to date.. being cool outside the station! Rens local seems to be my main pass time at the moment, just settling in and meeting the locals, some of which are really nice talkative peeps, some who im not so sure on and possibly want to hurt me!

Week one and i have already had my first trauma! I found a free ship, which is usually a great moment, until i realised that someone somewhere decided i lacked the mental power to pilot this mighty beast so i was denied to right to claim my prize. :( A perfectly good reaper with somone elses name is floating outside of rens station, just teasing me with its beauty!!

While muttering and mumbling local spiked a little with an interested party informing me my blog link in the bio was broke :( so he couldnt visit the site! I can now confirm to all the pilots of the universe this issue was escalated to the highest hights (of my head) and is repaired!! My thanks go to my eagle eyed friends of Rens.

This minor detail spiked a new conversation with said eagled eyed fellow; the very same fellow who had been showing off his navy vessel the night before.

Mr Bitters, seems a nice chap, very pleasant to me and from what i gather a most glorious saviour of Rens. Him and his motly band of nomads are the governing force of Rens and guard its peaceful folk each day from some notorious villans!

I questioned him on his sitting outside habit which he explained was part of his role as a protector of Rens. If the locals kick off, he steps in like the big boy in the playground and clanks their heads together. A noble role and a much needed resource for Rens.

Feeling that i was in with the powerful types i tried my hand at this; stepping up and putting my pod on the line for good (in pod from trying to claim the reaper, did i mention i wasnt allowed because someone wont let me!!!!):

Instant Pain > o7

bitters > remember to set your clone to rens s2

Instant Pain > rens is my home for the meantime, unless people decide i need to move

Instant Pain > the folks here are so cute, one last night wanted to know where i lived so he could come visit O.o

bitters > haha what

bitters > i'd say that's more creepy than cute

bitters > but i know what you mean

Instant Pain > my bottom and head were mentioned in the same sentence!!

bitters > some guy here wanted to call me on my home phone and discuss something he absolutely could not talk about over chat

Instant Pain > outraged i was!

Eternal Fate > how rude of them

Instant Pain > indeedy

Shanja Mari > I'm sure he was just making a compliment to your bottom

Instant Pain > i phoned my mom and reported him, sure things will be resolved when my mom phones his

Instant Pain > he will so be grounded and not allowed out

Lube Myholes > /emote waves and logs out, cya tomorrow

Instant Pain > nice name!

bitters > i think i may petition him.

Instant Pain > lubes needs to meet the fella i did lastnight, could be a beautiful friendship

Instant Pain > so bitters, this sitting outside thing, whats the purpose? are you just being cool? and teasng us little guys

Adala Alesse > no, it's Rens 911 = Griefcorp :)

bitters > the correct explanation is

bitters > we are at war with a bunch of other corps

bitters > and we are the arm of the law in rens

bitters > i am keeping the peace

Instant Pain > aww nice fella

Instant Pain > so rens 911 live only in rens?

bitters > more or less

Instant Pain > like the big kids in the playground?

bitters > more like the distinguished uniformed officers of the organized police force that is rens 911

Instant Pain > very nce

Instant Pain > so why you at war, which underhanded crooks are you are protecting me from

Babelle > CONCORD must be jealous

bitters > oh all kinds of villains, i can hardly keep track.

Instant Pain > your a good man bitters, keep the scum beaten down!

Having now classed myself as all out powerhouse of Rens i decide to throw my weight about alittle!

Instant Pain > OI LOCALS MOVE ON OR I WILL TELL MY MOM AND SHE IS A BLACKS BELT.... CLEAR THE DAMN STATION OR DOCK!!

Yarden III > lmao

Instant Pain > /emote sticks his chest out looking hard

Eternal Fate > Instant you are priceless *flutters eyelashes*

Instant Pain > :o

Instant Pain > locals do what you want i have a chick on the go!

Instant Pain > hey baby!

Instant Pain > /emote nudges bitters "eh done well here aint i"

Eternal Fate > someone is eager >_>

Instant Pain > im a tramp! nuff said, girl says hi, i move in

Eternal Fate > take a shower hobo >=[

bitters > haha

bitters > shot down

Instant Pain > /emote in your home, eating your ibscuits

Instant Pain > typo!

Instant Pain > I dont shower im a natural man!

Conwen > ibiscuit

Instant Pain > :(

Instant Pain > incomes conwen highlighting my downfalls

Instant Pain > :'(

Conwen > cheer up

Instant Pain > beat up IP bandwagon went that way --->

Instant Pain > /emote hugs conwen

Eternal Fate > aww poor guy :(

Instant Pain > yeah on the rocks now, bottom of the pile

Eternal Fate > Have some Spiced Wine wash away the pain

With my new power and the treasure i had recieved the night before i think have almost won eve already. Seem to have everyone in Rens under my control!!

Mr Bitters did suggest i uploaded my skills to the site so interested folks can follow the progress and suggest skills to train next, which is a great idea and something i shall be doing. Then once i have the skills to fly that reaper, did i mention this at all? I will find that someone somewhere and laugh in his face!!

0.3 :: Rens - Mixed People.

Upon my arrival to rens i announced in local that i had landed and was setting up home here; since the voting seems to be putting me as a minmatar character trapped in an amarr body i thought it best i head south and settle with my native people. Quick whiz round the system proved to me that the mini people either need to really sack thier cleaner, or the people voting on the site really wanted me to suffer in some god forsaken ships.

Buzzing around i arrived at what seemed to be some form of meeting outside the station, i questioned the locals as to why we are all just sat looking at each other and doing nothing. The answer seemed really simple "we are looking cool and testing tanks". Wow i was one of the cool, them with their massive Navy Ships, me with my impailor. But i was with them, which made me rock hard!

While being super cool i thought i would run through my mails, some are interesting from folks who seem to like my idea, some are not so nice from people who wish to do horrible things to my head and bottom! I did get a very nice mail from a character called Gabrielle Desoleil who really seemed to believe in what i was doing with this little blog and day to day existence in eve, i sent a nice thank you and asked once i had settled down that we could chat. Agreement was returned, i may have a love interest already!

I sat in rens talking in local to a few people when i had an invite pop up, some young scally wag who wanted to clean out his hangars and donate the pieces he didn't want to me... cool free stuff! I then promptly headed to the station at planet 8 docked, then noticed he was at moon 8.... doh. Headed over, and was passed this almighty pile of treasure!

This is the stockpile of wealth i now own! Rens is definately turning out to be the in place! I stacked my new stuff into a nice clean hangar and then moved outside again to pose with the big boys; at this point i had a little flash back to my childhood when i use to kick a football outside the local shops with some big 17 yr olds. This is where i am in eve now, i am the kid who wants to be picked first for football, not the kid whos left last everytime. Me and my impailor were screaming "pick me". While pondering my real life flash back something struck me about the game.... it was the overview.

I could see a amarr shuttle, with the pilots name as amarr shuttle..... its empty and Free!! Woohoo, no more cool posing for me i was on a mission to claim the beauty as my own. I quickly ejected from the wings that had got me through the hell of Rancer (so many bad people there) and sped my pod for the new wings.... success i had claimed a most beautiful prize!

She is a beauty! and also a quandary, i had now a new ship, but at the same time had through aside my old trusted wings. I decided to dock my new vessel and reclaim the hovering piece of my life from outside, upon docking i notice i now have an IP fleet! I am powerful fear me!

Local is flashing, i switch windows and spot some fellow trying to sell me isk. A lot of abuse then seems to be thrown as this individual with a most confusing name IPY1QA. Most of the abuse seems to focus on him being a farmer... a most unreasonable tyraid towards who is a critical provider of the worlds diets and in essence a saviour for many a hungry stomach. I made a note of this experience and decided i would become involved in such farming activities and would instead take the GM option when it comes along.

Blinky Blinky - someone had sent me a gift. I am sitting as a reasonably wealthy man at the moment 17m in the bank and some free treasure too! But this gift was massive..... 50m ISK! Holy wow, i was surely now on the way to the rich list and to become one of the uber, if i wanted to or not i was on the climb.

I sat and viewed my wallet wondering why someone would deem me worthy of such a large gift, when it dawned on me the reason i stated this experiment, to see if i could survive on the gifts from others, when after 2 days i was as rich as most people in eve hope to achieve. I decided i needed to use my new found wealth to help someone, and that someone was the poor fellow in Rens local begging for a Osprey vessel, he had drawn my attention earlier but i had to nip out to the little pilots room and when i had returned i was focused on pestering some DJ Starfury person in the Eve Radio channels.

I chatted with my little caldari friend about why he needed a new vessel and if he had checked the market locally (i had already done this pricing said vessel i was to buy him). He seemed shocked about the idea of a market and instantly responded saying he had forgot to O.o (i was now sure this guy needed help). While i was typing that i would buy him his vessel as a gift....he logged off!

On the single moment when i was purchasing his prized vessel, he decides to log off and go play halo 3 or something, (eastenders was just starting on BBC1 so maybe an avid viewer). I have made a note of the pilots name and will come accross him again i am sure.... until that time i will use the ISK i have been given to help some other lonely travellers like myself. All of which i am doing because other people have helped me. Or as someone in Rens local put it:

"all this hippy shit will spread thru eve"

I doubt it speaking to one obviously angry and frustrated man, who seemed to think the market was going to "bitchslap" me. and that "people play eve to collect into groups, where they can be dicks to subgroups" a very interesting theory, and after questioning him on his mental welfare i wanted to debate further, but he couldnt get past the fact i was asking him questions. After he threw a few more insults my way i decided this was not going to be the intellectual debate i was fishing for. He did though offer me a prize sum of 5M ISK if i could reach 0.0 space soon, i promised him some screenshots and that i would return from my prize, at which point i wished my young asbo pending pilot a good evening and left him.

Instant Pain > ron why do you beleve there is no trust in eve anymore?

Ron Hauller > because the game is designed specifically to reward lying stealing cheating murder and generally being a dick

Ron Hauller > thats the point of the game

Instant Pain > the point of eve is to be a dick? I have met many people that prove that theory wrong

Ron Hauller > the point of eve is to gather a group of like minded people and be a dick to some other subgroup of people

Ron Hauller > name one part of eve that doesn't fit that

Instant Pain > have you got some deep routed psychological issues? surely people dont play eve just to be dicks to each other?

Ron Hauller > the game is designed to allow this, large numbers play it specifically to grief people

Ron Hauller > so yea

Auroleus > it's called teenage angst

Strange fellow but obviously happy doing things his way! Its then time to dock up and wonder what tomorrow brings, i am very early in the life of EVE and my journeys, i am looking for paths to take, as the decisions are made on the blog and my interactions with people flurrish i am sure i will see much more of EVE and its people, as apposed to just the weird people of Rens.

0.2 :: Become Nothing.

So day One of this little experiment,

• Eve forums is spitting venom at the idea.



• Shouts of Scam come along.



• Some are liking the idea I'm doing something a little different.



• A lot find it hard to grasp the main purpose of this experiment is to test the people that play the game.

First thing i need to complete is the nothingness of my game. I have taken the only 5k i started the game with and donated it over to a local little fellow who seems to have nothing, and yet seems to not want my ISK either.

I am officially a nobody with nothing..... no ships no ISK, just me and a pod. Time to begin my experiment, could i get folks to help me develop Instant Pain without having to take the conventional routes through the game; Mining, PVPing, Trading etc.

I am in Jita at the moment.... which seems to mean and be accepted that the only thing to do in Jita is post in local chat.... which is nice, so i thought i would give it a go and drumb up some support for my venture. Works a treat and soon im being flooded with 0.1 ISK donations (an expected gift but never the less appreciated)... with my wallet sitting at an immense 4 ISK i decided enough was enough and engaged autopilot out of Jita.

[At this point i was able to wash the car, play with the dog, clean out the guinea pigs, make lunch, eat lunch, tidy the bathroom up and make a coffee] BEFORE i initated warp! Jita really is a magnetic place, it draws alot of folks in and then wont let any of them go!

At the time i am also still working out the finer details of my plans, how am i going to do this experiment in a way where people might give a damn... so then i came accross the dice idea. There use to be a program where a man would wake up each day and "let the dice decide" what he did, where he went etc. So maybe since folks are helping me exist in EVE through there gifts they can guide me in what i do also. Not "pay to instruct" but have some input into where i go or who i meet......


So thats where i am going with this plan now... each week / twice a week, i will make a new vote on the journal allowing readers to prompt me in what to do this or next week; Or nominate people who could be interesting for me to meet..... kinda like an EVE roving reporter! I will blog all of the places / interviews / chats i have with folks.

Anyway im now outside of Jita, and have my autopilot set for Rens, since people think i should train some minny skills its the best place to be heading! Onward.....

0.1 :: The start

Returning to eve i was on the search for something new to try something people have not tried before and something that i could test EVE with! It didnt take long to find something which amused me, in local the words of abuse been thrown towards some guy for auctioning modules was unreal, nothing i would say to any human i would meet, yet via the tinterweb it all seems perfectly acceptable to some.

He was being accused of Scamming, the art of decieving people from thier own personal wealth for the scammers personal gains.... if indeed this young internet dick turpin was trying to thieve i dont know and didnt care, what i was interested in was the lambasting he recieved and the blank refusal from those around him to listen to his perspective.

So i hatched a plan... to test EVE i would do it by living on only what i could find or be given. I would test out the social aspects of EVE, i want to see if the EVE spirit is one of automatic distrust and accusations, or if indeed a good spirit still goes through some! If i was the internet guy down on his luck, would anyone stop to care or would i get the scammers treatment too!

I typed some vague outline for my plan into EVE-O allowing me to gauge reactions to the plan and it went well i think!

Despite the instant Scam posts which i expected there has been alot of supporters of the idea both via the forums and ingame. So i decided this was the way to go and set about my plans for world peace and love and mutual wealth...... well i undocked.