Interview: CivilWars

Thank you for doing this interview, CivilWars. How did you come up with your name?

I have used this name for FPS games since probably 2006. I get asked often if I am a fan of the Revolutionary War, or the band, but Civil is a bit of a play on my last name IRL, and I added the Wars part I guess for the irony.

How long have you been playing EVE? Is CivilWars your original toon?

Since 2009, and Civil is my original toonie.

Have you participated in any of the EVE Online out of game events like Fanfest or EVE Vegas?

I would love to go to both, but have never been to either. Some friends and I always try to make plans to go to Vegas since it is relatively cheap, but so far have not made it. I do help organize a monthly meetup in Dallas though, and have met several players from all walks of EVE there.

What is the most appealing thing about EVE? Also, least appealing?

Most appealing to me is mutually consensual PVP. While I enjoy a gank or hot drop as much as the next guy I prefer when both sides say “let’s do this” and fight to the death. I especially enjoy the fights we get in TRI when outnumbered and still hold our own. The least appealing thing about EVE for me has to be logistics. Not the ships that fire heal bullets, but the task of moving items from point A to B. I have flown a freighter once in my EVE career, and if I never have to do it again it will be too soon. I truly appreciate those who spend their time stocking markets and contracts, so I can be lazy and just buy what I need when I need it.

If you could change one thing about EVE what would it be?

I think right now the biggest problem in EVE is the players. Many/most/all complain about Fozziesov, jump fatigue and/or other mechanics as the problem, but I feel the biggest problem is with the player base. CCP does not make 1, 5, 10, or 40k people alliance and coalition up. We choose to do that to ourselves, then complain there is nobody to fight. From a game mechanics perspective I do dislike the fact that CCP in their effort to make the game more new player friendly seems to be alienating the old guard. Titans are in most cases nothing more than a mobile jump bridge, now that sov is no longer decided by EHP supers seem to be in a bad place, and even carriers and dreads aren’t seeing as much use as I am sure many would like. Many players have spent lots of time, effort, and isk on ships that rarely see the light of day.

What other games do you play besides EVE?

Right now I am playing World of Warships, and maybe some ARK. I used to be into FPSes like BF2 and CS:S, but to me their newer releases failed to live up to the fun of their predecessors.

Your Employment history shows a corp named ‘My Little Pwney’. Does this mean that you are a Bronie in real life?

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, no. It was a corp I started with some other friends, and it was more as a joke. We thought it would be pretty funny to kill people and them have My Little Pwney on their killmail. I didn’t even know what a Bronie was until much later.

Have you tried other parts of the game, like wormholes or high sec?

I started out in HS as a filthy miner playing with friends who got me into the game. I realized somewhat quickly that I would rather file my nails with a belt sander than mine, so I started training for PVP things. My friends and I then started day tripping into wormholes in late 09 and early 10 to gank PVEers, and get the occasional fight. We then settled into a WH before I got bored, and went to 00. I have transitioned back and forth between w-space and 00 a few times over the years.

What advice would you give to a new player starting out the game?

Find friends to play the game with. This game, like many others, sucks solo. In addition to that there is too much to the game for one person to master everything, so it is easier to be an expert at one aspect, and learn from someone else who is an expert at other things. I am capable of doing things like setting up and fueling POSes, but I am very thankful that there are other people in corp who actually enjoy it, so I rarely have to.

What are some of the benefits of living in null versus other sec’s of the game?

I like the scale of war in null. I have never spent much time fighting in LS, but the majority of the fights in w-space that I was involved usually had less than 30 pilots per side. While these were fun there is something awe inspiring about seeing over 1k people in local, or 100+ in your own fleet.

Discuss some of your most memorable moments within Triumvirate, and outside of Triumvirate.

The thing I love about TRI is our ability to take fights that would appear to be at best even, and in many cases in our opponents’ favor and still win. I spent 10 months in the CFC, and learned that I am not a fan of the blob or blue ball mentality. I have much respect for Goons for the empire they have built, but it’s just not for me. I especially loved our fights with Nulli when no other entities joined in the fun. We had some nice brawls, especially the super fight, but that was likely just fun because supers died. Outside of TRI some of my favorite moments were in BL. I got my first 2 titan kills, one of which I dual boxed a T3 and a dread from Venal to Catch by gates, which I will never forget. One of other favorite things was when Elo would take us to CFC staging. It would be a total zerg rush of assault frigs just burning for us and going down in flames. We would kill the same pilots 3, 4, and 5 times because they just kept reshipping and coming back. Any fight we take outnumbered I find fun, win or lose, but especially when we win.

What do you think of ‘fozzi-sov’ so far?

I think the intentions are good, but the success will rely largely on how the “content creators” in null sec choose to play the game. There is no secret mechanic that will fix null sec. It is up to those who live in smokey rooms on skype, jabber, and slack to make the choice that massive coalitions are what is wrong with this game, and do something about it. The goal seems to be to encourage alliances to only hold sov they can/will use, and to leave the rest of the region to other groups that you could fight regularly. My best guess is the entrenched groups will hold what they want, and continually crap on the little guy that tries to take a system or two until they break their will. I hope I am wrong though.

Recently you were the one responsible for the infamous Xenuria joining our Alliance for all of two hours. Tell us why you invited Xenuria and what you hoped to achieve.

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I can be an asshole. One of my current favorite targets is Saeka. It even got to the point that I offered him a Wyvern or 25B to leave alliance and never come back. Mystical then had the idea to recruit Xenuria to alliance to have an autist-off between him and Saeka. Jayne, the SASH CEO, said SASH would leave is Xenuria joined, so challenge accepted. I recruited Xenuria, but SFC asked me to kick him for “reasons”, and out of respect for Star I did. FWIW Saeka if you are reading this most of what I say is just trolling. Ask Ama as I still give him a hard time as well.

How long have you been a part of [RLLO]?

RLLO formed out of a corp split last year while we were still in w-space. Some of the guys got fed up with things and wanted to do things differently, and I went with them as they were the guys I liked to fly with. We then jumped around as a group for a bit, but are now where we belong. I have been back in RLLO almost a year.

What is your role within your corporation? Discuss your duties.

“What would you say you do here?” is somewhat of a running corp joke. My main duties are recruiting, which I kinda suck at, and I guess you could say corp vision.

Tell us a bit about Rolled Out [RLLO], and what you look for in a potential recruit.

Recruitment ads all seem to sound the same, but like everyone else we look for active PVP pilots in the USTZ. We want people who can joke and have fun, but aren’t total douche rockets.

If someone wants to join [RLLO] what is the process?

Join our pub channel, and send hang out. If you can put up with us for a few days we will probably accept you. We don’t have minimum requirements per say, but you need to have PVP history as evidenced by an active kb, and be able to fly TRI doctrine ships.

What are your favorite ships to fly? Least favorite?

I don’t really have a most or least favorite. I hear people complain about doctrines all the time, grrr Ishtars, and think it is dumb because anchoring up and pressing F1 or F is the same regardless of ship. When we do smaller gang stuff I enjoy flying more DPS ships than tackle, logi, or ewar though.

What is your most embarrassing killmail/story?

I lost a hyperion to a solo torp bomber. It was early 2010, and I had just made it to 00. Back then belt ratting was the best way to make isk, and I just trained into the hype. I warped to a belt, and as I was landing a neut entered local. He warps to my belt, and while trying to warp off I bounce on a roid, and get pointed. He sank my battleship.

What is the thing you’re most proud to have accomplished in EVE Online so far?

I am most proud of the fact that I have people I would consider friends all across EVE, and that at least a few of them have some respect for myself and/or RLLO. I have long said that everyone in EVE is shit it is just a matter of why, so I don’t claim to be a good pilot, or even a great corp, but I enjoy the fact that I can chat with people we may be neutral or even hostile with and carry on a decent conversation.

Please link any blogs, kill boards, or videos that you’d like to share.

Shout out to my bros at http://forums.zulusquad.org/. I used to frequent kugu, and when it went offline the Zulu guys took me in, so thanks.

Word Association! First word that comes to mind when I say:

CCP – Fozzie
Cyno- PL
Siphon– Antar Logan
Monocle – Sith1s Spectre
Entosis– sovwand
Carrier-suitcase
No Mercy-Garst
Noob-Ama
Troll– Civil
Director-overrated
Boobs-my wife
Fleet-pvp
Carebear-food
Jita-local spam
Mining-kill me
Beer-yuck
Fedo– pet
Quafe-energy drink of champions
Alliance Chat-cancer
Moongoo-stolen, wait don’t print that. I didn’t really steal it Agent.

Favorite:

Alliance (other than ours): I will probably get lynched for saying this, but PL. Yes, I know, they are the “cancer ruining this game”, but I have mad respect for the way they play the game. BL is a close second, and would probably be #1 if they were to kick Dog.
EVE Related Celebrity: Elise Randolph. I spent a brief few months in BUSA/PL, and Elise was the FC of my heart. If I ever left RLLO it would be for Habit, but I hear Elise isn’t very active these days, so RLLO is safe, or doomed, depending on how they look at it.
Ways to make isk: Stealing the moon goo of course. I actually made ok isk in w-space, so I don’t do much to make isk these days.
Ammo: Aurora
Ship: Dominix
Corpse: BlueMajere
Star System: K3J
Drink: Mojito
Food: Anything Mexican
Song To Fly To: I don’t listen to music often while playing, but Fight Song is on the top of my play list right now.

Thank you for the interview!

Interview: Garst Tyrell

Thank you for doing this interview, Garst. How did you come up with your name?

Garst is the combination of the first few letters from my first and last name. Tyrell doesn’t have a specific influence but I could possibly have been thinking of Blade Runner or that imperial commander from Star Wars in the back of my mind. I’ve been using the Garst Tyrell handle since I played my first MMO Star Wars Galaxies back in like 2005.

How long have you been playing EVE? Is Garst your original toon?

Garst is my main and first toon. I started playing in FEB 2009 on trial after Age of Conan got boring.

What is the most appealing thing about EVE? Also, least appealing?

I love the high skill ceiling for organizations and individuals. More preparation really does pay off and the more organized, more dedicated party will reap the rewards for their hard work. There is always something new to learn, a more innovative or efficient way to do something. Fights are unpredictable and are about as far removed from a tourney 6 v 6 counter-strike or DOTA match as you can get. The flip side is the high barrier of entry to some parts of the game. Groups that have historically done something very well are able to shut out new contestants from the most lucrative arenas, which leads to my answer to the next question…

If you could change one thing about EVE what would it be?

The stagnation of coalition politics. Its natural after 10 years that leaders would learn to work with each other for their benefit and CCP has done little to encourage conflict between them. The years N3 spent with sov stretching from Cobalt Edge to Period Basis was a low point for the game that I fortunately missed.

What other games do you play besides EVE?

Loads over the years but since stepping up for TRI I mainly play single player games during luls to unwind. I don’t play any other multiplayer games at the moment. I just finished Dragon Age Inquisition and I’m currently playing through Pillars of Eternity. Next up Witcher III.

I know that you pretty much started your EVE career in Amarr FactionWar, and now you fly in Null. What did you enjoy about FW? Why did you leave it?

In 2009 FW was a lot different than it is today. There were no FW missions that encouraged gimmicky LP grinding for isk that dumbed everything down to frigs vs frigs. The EVE population in 2009 was much higher, and so there was an equally larger proportion in FW and low sec piracy. FW was a great place at the time to learn the game and pick up FCing as you could regularly get into battleship and the rare capital fight. You just don’t see those anymore. I had the pleasure of Fcing some of the largest fights in low sec in a while including a Amarr vs Minnie POS fight over a Star Fraction staging titan staging pos in Kamela on Halloween in 2009 and then later an Amarr vs minnie POS fight in Heimatar over a Dark Rising corp POS in which I was able to get CVA involved. I left because it was time to take my corp out of FW and prepare for my long term goal–nullsec warfare. NoMercy pirated around a little and then joined the old Gentlemen’s Club alliance (no affiliation to the current incarnation) in Scalding Pass as part of the ATLAS bloc. We had a lot of fun there and that was my first exposure to null sec wars, but that’s a story in its own right.

Have you tried other parts of the game, like wormholes or high sec?

I briefly roamed into wormholes as a noob with my bud Raphael Saint, both of us in navy omens. We lived out an anchored can in a safe in the earliest day of their addition to the game when they were fresh and still wild areas. I think CCP allowing anchorable POS in wormholes killed a lot of that wonder and it was a missed opportunity to develop them as a roaming, nomadic experience for EVE players. NoMercy dabbled in offline high-sec POS bashing and war-decs while in faction war, and had an ongoing war-dec from Star Fraction that bled over into high-sec.

What are some of the benefits of living in null versus other sec’s of the game?

Bubbles. Its amazing how much a single game play mechanic can drastically change the quality of play and options available for fleet pvp. In low-sec fights are consensual or require brawling with hard tackle in order to keep enemy fleets from running. For this reason almost every low-sec fight is based around armor, usually t3 doctrines. Throw bubbles in the mix and everything changes. All of a sudden the geometry of fleets fighting each others matter. Defensive bubbling, slings, walls, every angle allows you to control range or suck enemies into a trap. Bubbles can also force enemies to commit or suffer losses while running away. Bubbles keep supers tackled when they would otherwise be able to escape in lowsec. In a nutshell they change the calculus of fleet pvp completely for FCs which really encourages higher level game play and more challenging fights where a better FC and his fleet can shine over superior numbers that would lose a warp-to-0-brawl. Brawling doctrines still exist somewhat in nullsec, but the doctrinal choices are much more interesting and range control is paramount. In the end this is just one factor that encourages far superior fleet and individual pvp in 0.0. Other factors are just the nature of the beast that nullsec is fought over higher stakes and attracts people who want to do ‘srs business’ pvp so the skill level can be very high.

You are both CEO of No. Mercy and Alliance Executor of Triumvirate. How did you become Alliance Executor?

NoMercy joined TRI when I restarted the corp in August 2014 after coming back from a 2.5 year absence. NoMercy was enjoying the catch thunderdome for small gang roaming and pvp when TRI deployed down to Curse as our neighbors and invited us to join. I stepped up as one of the lead FCs using my prior game experience and as the existing leadership became busier with RL and Wargod eventually resigned, I naturally gravitated into the spot.

What are some of the trials and tribulations of being Alliance Ex?

The same as any senior leadership position. You must be willing to accept public scrutiny and the fact that you will never make everyone happy, all the time.

You will put in long hours and be expected to be around daily. Alliances whose leaders disappear or perform the cliche afk-executor role are circling the drain.

Discuss some of your most memorable moments within Triumvirate, and outside of Triumvirate.

NoMercy had a t1 cruiser roam for our first corp birthday while we were living in Derelik after Gentlemen’s Club. Someone posted it on scrapheap challenge and turned into a gank night 🙂 We had 150 people show up, jump into ahac omens and travel with us to provi where we brawled down a 80 man drake fleet. We had so many ships left over we flew to stain, dropped fleet at the star and did a FFA thunderdome to see who the last man standing would be. I almost made it to the end 🙂

I remember doing supercap hotdrops onto an supported PL dread fleet bashing NC towers in venal with Elo Knight and Ben Booley, lighting the cyno, alt tabbing back to my aeon only to find the client crash. Shouting ‘oh fuck oh fuck’ in comms as they loaded grid, giving elo a heart attack because he thought I just cyno’d him into a trap… but they ganked a naglfar and slipped away. Too ez.

But then I got elo and booley’s supers killed a couple weeks later while fcing a nice battleship/cap fight against venal residents to save our POS. Somehow I ignored the fact that PL was deployed to H-PA in jump range during the entire fight, bumping our supers into the shields when PL’s entire cap fleet jumped into local. Their titans promptly vollied what was left of the POS’ structure and killed our supers. Bad times.

In TRI we continue to take fights outnumbered, many times it goes well…sometimes it does not. TRI took 100 in fleet including 60 rattlesnakes against 400+ CFC in domis and AFs over a cadmium moon in vale. We were winning until euro goons executed a nice jump clone trap from fountain to 40 pre-staged dreads in tribute which blapped us, wiping the rattlesnakes almost to a man. Gee gee.

There are so many good fights its really hard to pick just a few. Faction war, low sec, Gents Club, Venal, Solo super hotdrops up north on jump freighter logi routes, small gang in curse, TRI’s winter 2014 campaign against the CFC, and now TRI’s offensive to the east… In the relatively few years that NoMercy has existed in the game, we really have punched above our weight class in picking fights and creating content for everyone.

From your perspective, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Triumvirate?

TRI is one of the highest SP alliances and oldest names in EVE. This is a double edged sword. TRI is unlike any previous incarnation with brand new leadership and ideas for EVE in 2015, not stuck in nostalgia of what EVE was in 2007. Although we have a lot of rich and high SP players with a high individual skill level, we also face high attrition rate of bitter vets who understandingly have diminished interest in the game after playing for a decade. Wargod is a good example of this. I choose to leverage this weakness into a strength by providing an environment where the old guard can play and mentor the new generation of aggressive PVPers who are keen to move from one challenging campaign to another and crush everything before them!

How long have you been an FC? How did you get started FCing?

I have been FCing since I started the game in Amarr FW. I had some experience in guild management and leading raids in Age of Conan during the 6 months I played that and its been a learning experience and long road ever since. I guess taking a leadership role was something I naturally gravitated to–“if you want something done right, do it yourself”.

What advice would you have for a new FC?

Have a plan. Put yourself in the enemy’s shoes and ask yourself how you would fight your fleet if you were them. Then take those most dangerous courses of enemy action and plan against them to pre-empt their actions. Give the enemy as few opportunities to put you in a position of weakness as you can. This applies not to just to strategic fleet fights but also to small gang roaming. There are no fair fights in EVE, and if you expect otherwise you are being naive. Take any advantage you can in a fleet fight.

What is your favorite fleet comp to FC?

Battleships! I was known in the old days for running armor Amarr battleship doctrines when Hellcats were still a thing, and before that brawling battleships in low sec and faction war. In TRI I pushed hard for a heavy Rattlesnake doctrine during our winter war with the CFC post-Phoebe but it never really came into its own until the spring offensive against the drone lands. The Rattlesnake has probably become TRI’s most iconic doctrine of incarnation but we also use armor machariels for sniper gangs.

Are you looking forward to ‘fozzi-sov’? How do you think it will impact the alliance?

I am not. I believe its a flawed mechanic that just isn’t fun to play based on feedback from the duality war games and entosis links on TQ. We will have to see how the meta changes in July and adjust accordingly. TRI should be able to defend its sov easily enough as we took it before the changes, avoiding any beacon grind. TRI has strong allies in the region and owns “shit sov” that most people don’t want anyway since they underestimate the real value of Etherium Reach as the gateway to the east.

Tell us a bit about No. Mercy, and what you look for in a potential recruit.

NoMercy is a family. I cant genuinely recall the last time we’ve had drama or even arguments in corp despite flying in high stress, high stakes combat daily.

Many of the current members since the rebirth of the corp have applied in groups from previous corps that closed down so they have brought this previous working relationships into the greater whole and gelled. NoMercy is always selectively recruiting experienced and competent PVP pilots who aren’t looking to be spoon-fed.

Any potential member must understand I hold my corp to a very high standard and expect them to be the role models for whichever alliance were in.

If someone wants to join N.M, what is the process?

Simply join No.Mercy pub channel in game and ask to speak to a recruiter, often myself. Be prepared to give full APIs for any relevant accounts.

What is your most embarrassing killmail/story?

Other than jumping my titan into a NCDOT cap kill fleet instead of bridging? 😀 I remember my first loss in EVE was running hydochloric acid between low sec stations in my bestower for 12 MILLION ISK PROFIT PER RUN!! Until I met Mr. Tachyon Abaddon on the lowsec side of the gate. Rude.

Please link any blogs, kill boards, or videos that you’d like to share.

Merciless

70 Merciless Abaddons vs 300 NC Maelstroms.. we won 🙂

Battleship fights in Venal

AHAC fights on the 6NJ8 undock against the Northern Coalition

NoMercy t1 cruiser scrapheap gank night against Proviblob

TRI

TRI + Solar + BL vs XIX domi CTA blob featuring yours truly doing some driveby doomsdays

TRI and Solar take a cap fight with S2N that escalates into PL rushing over to finish off the S2n scap fleet

CFC 40man dread hotdrop onto TRI rattlefleet taking on 400+ hostiles

Word Association! First word that comes to mind when I say:

CCP – T2 BPOs
Monocle – Wargod
Entosis– AIDS
Carrier– Wyvern
No Mercy – Professional
Noob – For A Few Finns More
Troll – Reddit
FC – Lawgiver
Boobs – http://www.bonjourmadame.fr
Fleet – My domain
Amarr– Faction War
Jita– AIDS
Mining– Prey
Beer – Yeungling
Failheap challenge – Babe Thread

Favorite:

EVE Related Celebrity: Elo Knight
Ways to make isk: Moon Goo Embezzlement
Ammo: Scorch L
Ship: Rattlesnake
Corpse: Jade Constantine
Star System: K3JR
Drink: Yeungling
Food: Chinese Takeout
Song To Fly To: The Island Part 1 – Pendulum

Thank you for the interview!

Interview: StarFleetCommander

Thank you for doing this interview StarFleetCommander. Explain why you chose the name, StarFleetCommander?

I chose the name StarFleetCommander because the day I made this account, I had just watched the New Star Trek (2009), so I guess I just thought of the film.

Your corp title is ‘Dave Ja Vu (SUNFLOWER)’ …explain.

Well the SUNFLOWER part was because all of the V0lta members are in a wassapp group and I guess we were talking about something and my name came up, but the app auto corrected it to “sunflower,” so it just stuck lol. DAve Ja Vu is because my name in David IRL, so I guess Dave Ja Vu is fitting :).

How long have you been playing EVE?

I started to play in 2009, but really got into pvp late in 2011 when I joined V0lta. Before, I was only in wormhole PVE corps and the guys I was with at the time tried to avoid pvp, but I was very curious and I got some kills here and there. So all in all about 6-7 years.

Tell us about your first experience playing EVE.

My first experience playing EVE was in like 2006-07 when I joined HYDRA and was just a kid. I was trolled out of the game cause I was just a kid 🙂 and EVE was such much harder back then.

What advice would you give to a newbie just starting out EVE?

Get involved into a corp that is active and wants to do things. Be active yourself, it’s the only way you will learn; go out and die a few times and from that you will get better hopefully.

Have you always flown in null sec, or have you tried other parts of the game? (if you’ve tried other parts, discuss that a bit)

I’ve done most things. I’ve lived in every sec of the game from LOW/HI to NULL and Wormholes. At the start of this TRI MK4, we lived in Pure Blind, then went to low sec. I do love the nomadic like style, not really enjoy being in one place too long. I like fighting different people. Back in the day in Verge of Collapse, we used to fight people all over EVE. So all in all, I’ve pretty much lived everywhere.

How much of that time has been within Triumvirate? And, what other alliances have you been a part of?

The last two years have been with the current TRI. Before that was Verge Of Collapse, a Wormhole alliance that lived in a C5, but primarily pvped in null sec. This was by far my most fun time in EVE during the time VoC was alive. Before that, it was occupational Hazzard, a large Merc alliance ( around 1500 members)- where we spent most of our time fighting GOONS and taking other contracts. For example we took a contract to help -A- evict RA.

Discuss some of your most memorable moments within Triumvirate, and outside of Triumvirate.

In this TRI, its was at the beginning the FADE campaign in the north, during this time GOONS were on deployment down south so we was fighting the likes of TNT,Co2,SMA,RAzor,fcon. It was great fun and there was so many kills to be had. But out side of Tri, the entire of VOC was awesome living in whs and poping our heads out only to dominate everyone.

How long have you been an FC? How did you get started FCing?

I’ve been Fcing for about 3-4 years. I started to FC by being Wargods secondary FC and learning from him and watching him.

What advice would you have for a new FC?

Watch and learn a good FC.

What is your favorite fleet comp to FC?

Hmm this is hard. I really enjoy Teir 3 nados, but ofc ISHTARZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

Are you looking forward to ‘fozzi-sov’? How do you think it will impact the alliance?

Fozzie I think might be headache for both the attacker and defender. It’s going to make holding sov annoying. It wont impact large coalitions with a lot of alliances.

Tell us a bit about your corporation, Volta,  and your roll within your corporation.

V0lta is corp with A LOT of old characters from the 1st TRI. It’s a mix of PL, Hydra, NC and others but generally a group of people that stick together no matter where they go. We all hang out on team speak even if we are in other alliances.

My role at the moment is kinda leading the corp.

What does Volta look for in a potential recruit?

If you want to join you have to have a decent KB and history. If you have a vouch it makes it easier to get in.

If someone wants to join your corp, what is the process?

App on the forums, mail me or endo and we will interview you.

What is your most embarrassing killmail/story?

When I was a young player I killed a Caldari Navy Raven, which had loads of faction loot. It was in low sec so I was flagged. I picked up the loot and jumped to high sec and the police killed me and I lost all the loot. No kill mail was generated as no player got on the mail 🙂

How many Alliance Tournaments have you been a part of?

Three so far, soon to be four.

What have you enjoyed most about doing the tourneys?

The pvp in the tournament is completely different to TQ pvp; you have to think of everyone’s angle and every ship. Each ship is as important to the next one, be it a merlin or a vindicator, they all have roles and are both important.

How do you think TRI will do in the upcoming tourney?

I hope to win 😛

Please link any blogs, kill-boards, or videos that you’d like to share.

My youtube channel

Word Association! First word that comes to mind when I say:
CCP – Fozzie
Monocle – Wargod
Entosis– Link
Carrier– Kill
Volta– Dota
Noob– Man
Troll– Lord
FC– Wargod
Boobs– Shalee (SFC: Wow where did that come from?) (Shalee: Literally every fleet Ive been on? lol)
Fleet– Doctrine
Amarr– Burn
Jita– Price

Favorite:
EVE Related Celebrity: I have a few, Garmon,fozzie,rise,elise,bluemelon and a few more and of wargod and supertwinkey69
Ways to make isk: AT winnings :), renting BPO’s
Ammo: RF EMP
Ship: Otherus
Corpse: CCP RISE
Star System: X-7o
Drink: Coke
Food: Curry
Movie: Star wars
Song To Fly To: ACDC Highway to hell

Thank you for the interview!

Interview; Vlad Cetes

How long have you been playing EVE? Is Vlad Cetes your original toon? Also, explain your name, does it have any meaning?

Since January 2006. Yes it is. Vlad Cetes comes from my old UT2k4 name, which was Vlad The Impaler, but that name was already taken and at the time you could only have two words in your name.

Who do you most admire in EVE, and why? (can be people, corps, alliances, or devs)

I had some great times with the original MC (clearing the old NC out of the North for the “New North” and then beating up on -A- and IAC in Catch). I’ve been in the game so long it’s hard to say who or what I admire the most. Maybe easier to make a list: Wraithstorm (good guy, decent but not great FC, hoot on comms), Seleene (best FC I ever flew under), Manny (great content generation), and Garst (for making EVE fun again after CFC).

What is the most appealing thing about EVE? Also, least appealing?

The most appealing part of EVE is getting the big ship (caps, supers, high value stuff) kills. The least appealing is getting all ready for a fight and getting blue balled.

What other games do you play besides EVE?

Right now, just GTA V.

Outside of Null Sec, what other parts of the game have you tried?

The only thing I haven’t done is living in high sec. I’ve done everything else in the game.

What are some of the benefits of living in null versus other sec’s of the game?

The main benefit is the big and heavy fights. It’s the only region where you see really heavy and constant use of capitals. It’s also easy for a line member to stay in ships (OK but not really good income from anomalies or belt ratting).

How long have you been with Triumvirate? And, what other alliances have you been a part of? How do they differ from Tri?

I joined TRI at the beginning of May (almost 2 months, wow time flies). 10 years in the game means I’ve been around most blocs. I’ll just list the major ones:

Storm Armada
Natural Selection
-A-
IT Alliance
NCdot
Merciless
FEARLESSdot
FA
In Exile
FA (again)
TRI mk( IV or V idk does NCDOT count as a TRI mk?)

Discuss some of your most memorable moments in the game so far.

My second day in null sec, the guy who was our corp’s mentor called for a fleet. Joined in a t1 missile Ferox (back in 06 mind you, no Drake) and we killed a Veritas Imortalis Thanatos in Great Wildlands. I’ll never forget his words “you’re spoiled now, getting a carrier kill your 2nd day in 0.0”
Killing 5 PL titans in Y-2. IT & PL were fighting over a timer & -A- brought over a bomber fleet to kill dc’d PL caps (-A- & IT were blue at the time). IT then tackled all the PL titans on the field and we warped over to get on the killmails.

Burning to QRH to try and save Garst’s titan after he jumped instead of bridged. It was a great adrenaline dump since it was race against time.

What are your initial thoughts on Entosis?

I think it’s a great tool for trolling renters/bad alliances by turning off station services.

Are you looking forward to ‘fozzi-sov’? How do you think it will impact the alliance?

I’m on the fence about fozzi-sov. I do think it will take the focus off of the massive blobs (win through numbers and no skill *caugh CFC*) and allow more skill to be a determinant. I don’t like that it will make the time grind worse though, because it is fixed duration and there is nothing players can do to speed it up. I would add that the entosis link time to capture should be sped up or down by player actions (either damaging/repping the structure or hacking mini-sites).

What is your most embarrassing killmail/story?

Two of them. First was jumping a rather pimped Vargur into K3J when there were hostiles in local and getting ganked.

Second was shooting a bustard in a Nightmare in low-sec with Star Fraction around. They weren’t supposed to shoot but the wankers blew me up anyway. Part of the reason I have VERY bad blood with them.

What are you most looking forward to within the next year in EVE?

I’m looking forward to getting good fights now that we have secured Etherium Reach and Spire for a good alliance income. It will be nice to go third party on other people now just to get a good fight.

What is your favorite solo ship to fly, and why?

I don’t solo much, but when I did it was the Machariel. Good agility, VERY good dps application and range with autocannons, decent EHP.

If you could change one thing about EVE what would it be?

I would overhaul FW. It hasn’t changed fundamentally since 2008. I would change it so that it begins to really affect the in-game story line and make system capture worth something. I would also change the FW alignments (maybe empires vs drifters or empires vs pirates) to bring something fresh in.

In your opinion, why should someone join Tri versus other null sec alliances?

What makes Tri really good is that is has the benefits of a high SP alliance (very good FCing, high end doctrines that can punch above their weight, logistics that know what they are doing) without becoming an “EVE is a job” alliance. It’s very chilled and laid back, you can have a lot of fun while also flying with some very good players. There’s also good content (wormholes, 3rd partying other people, etc).

How long have you been a role player on EVE?

Since the end of 2006.

What is the best thing about role playing?

Creating your own story in EVE, something that is more lasting than just going out and pew pewing or making ISK.

Tell us about your RP character, ie: back history and his motivations.

Vlad is a synthetic life-form, it’s a armored core with a SKIN (nanotech that predates ship skins since it can’t be changed on the fly) that acts like flesh and blood. Vlad was originally a Caldari tube child bred to be a fast grown pod pilot, birth to full adult in 2 years. Unfortunately the process caused his body to begin failing, and as Vlad begin replacing organic parts with cybernetics he eventually became all machine, with his mind uploaded to a self created supercomputer hive mind. Fittingly Vlad feels that synthetics (Drifters, Sleepers, Sansha) are superior to humans and that they will overthrow normal humans.

Alignment on a D&D Scale: Neutral Evil. Vlad is a mercenary and a psychopath. He does what is practical to advance his own interests (power for himself and his own kind) without qualms of who or what he hurts to do so.

In your opinion, why should someone try out RP on EVE?

It’s another dimension to the game. If you are into immersion in the game universe, the RP part of the game really creates a sense of you being your character instead of you being an alliance grunt or being a high sec care bear.

What advice do you have for a new rper?

Read up on the EVE lore, EVElopedia is a great resource. Read some of the character blogs but keep in mind that your character won’t know that happened. Jump in and get started, EVE is pretty open with what your character can do as long as it isn’t completely outrageous.

Please link any blogs, killboards, or videos that you’d like to share.

 (How Not to Use Your Titan)

Favorite:
EVE Related Celebrity: Manfred Sideous
Wartarget to shoot: The whole Minmatar militia
Ways to make isk: quad boxing 10/10s
Ammo: ECM Jammer
Ship: Falcon
Corpse: Jade Constantine
Star System: Egghelende (EPA 4 lyfe)
Drink: Modelo Especial
Food: Jet’s Pizza
Song To Fly To:  (Sabaton: Ghost Division)

Thank you for the interview!