Tuesday 12 March 2013

Day 269 : Space Feng Shui

Fitting Fu, Space Feng Shui, call it what you will, it's the art of putting your own fits together with flight tactics in mind. I'm learning it slowly. I take occasional fits from various bloggers for various purpose but I want to put together my own PVP fits in this new, experimental combateer phase. It's my policy of learning by burning. Learning by rote isn't good enough for me, I need to experience the process of fitting in order to think through the consequences as I fit. You don't sit and ponder the concepts of "kiting vs brawling" and "active vs buffer" when you grab a "PVP blaster" fit from Battle Clinic, and roll it out as fast as possible like  Henry Ford In Space. I need to etch the reasoning on my mind, it's the way I think. I have mild trouble with short term memory so this methodology helps plug stuff into long term memory and, by the way, what's your name again? I forgot.

Anyway, I learned a meta thing about fitting today and that is to have a clear mind while doing it. Having a clear mind doesn't happen after four hours sleep instead of eight. It doesn't get any better by the evening.

I started out the day as usual, shift some orders, line up some jobs, look for something to do that doesn't feel like a second job. I went out hunting for new markets and dropped off some experiments, dropped by Halaima to watch some miner bumpers in the ice field for a while. Then for some reason I decided to load up the Nautilus, my Algos destroyer, and go to null. It was quiet. Not too quiet either. I didn't laugh as I was suddenly ganked or anything of the sort. I did a little ratting and some navigation and scanning practice but didn't see any of the other pilots that appeared in Local until the end of my roam.

Considering a trip home I jumped towards a low sec entry gate, having assured myself there was no one waiting on my side of it. Just before the flash of transit the Overview shifted. An Iteron V. A T1 hauler running around NPC null on it's own, headed into low sec. Following my jump, and assuming that the hauler would have cancelled his on seeing me jump, I swiftly turned and burned gatewards. Just before the flash of transit the Overview  updated. An Iteron V....... My incandescent rage was a thing to behold. I headed home before a building desire to leap into the first camp I could find took hold. I'll be back. T1 haulers in NPC Null you have been warned. I'd normally think twice, it's combat I'm after not sitting ducks, barring this bored whim. Now that whim has turned into a grudge.

I decide that a roam will purge the rage. Already I'm in a bad state to fly. Totally knackered from lack of sleep and pumped up on frustration from seeing a loot piñata fly by me twice in a minute. This isn't the frame of mind to go out learning.

I decide to attempt a Tristan fit. I have reasonable drone skills, have wanted to fly the Tristan since it became  a frigate drone boat, and am still intrigued by my defeat the other day. I've had trouble fitting the Tristan before and today was no different. I fit it as a kiter, top T2 rails and the drones. When I get down to the last few slots I'm considering the need for a web which has far too low range to be any good for my proposed tactics but might allow me to build the range I need. Fitting constraints get in the way and instead of sitting back and contemplating I drop any old thing in there. Yep. This is gonna work. Both modules I drop in I haven't really used before so I'll be learning something (my subconscious rage monster announces smugly). Honestly. Part of me actually thought that. It's shitfit flight time.

There aren't many people about in low sec either so it takes a few jumps to find a suitable candidate, a Rifter in a small plex. I should say here that my general roaming skills have improved. There is more logic in my travel and my hunting than there was before. It wouldn't be difficult to improve on these skills. My roaming tactic before was called "Eyeballs To The Screen, Vibrating-In-Terror".

The Rifter warps out as I maneuver for range,  and I experience a flash of the earlier Iteron V rage. Luckily another ship drops in. Another Tristan! I'm going to learn something new after all. It's a QCATS ship. Seeing this and suddenly recalling my fitting resigns me to defeat. Bad Move. I make range but he closes fast and I'm suddenly where I don't want to be. My response? Navigation. Bugger all effect that has too. I don't even switch ammo to the lower range version I'm carrying to compensate. I attempt some manuevers to regain my range but it doesn't work. I fail once more to overheat. This time I don't even overheat a single module! I've got worse! Essentially I do nothing good here. Not my finest hour. I contemplate storing my mid slots in the hold instead of fitting them. If I eject them at the right time there's a chance a pursuing assailant would be slowed by them and they'd be doing some good. Actually that's given me an idea.

My opponent was just under half armour when I popped I think. At 10% hull I'd already prepared for and focused on getting my pod out.

The "Fit-O-Shit" and my alarmingly more experienced opponent.

http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=16761401

Lessons Learned

1. Don't fly angry
2. Don't fit angry, exasperated, tired, or randomly
3. NEVER resign yourself to defeat. NEVER EVER.
4. ALWAYS learn and practice something.
5. AMO: Ammo/Midslots/Overheat. I need better mnemonic skills.
6. Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think, enjoy yourself while you're still..... no. I'm kinda joking, but actually not. Sorry for the singing.

Upsides

1. I got the pod out again.
2. I lasted longer than I thought I would against a more experienced opponent.
3. Despite my flaws, I still learned.
4. Unbelievably I still enjoyed it. A GF indeed. I was a lot calmer by the time I got out. It was a refreshing experience after the Dull of Null and playing Hide the Hauler down there.
5. Some awareness was still there, I attempted to navigate in a fight. Fights aren't lasting longer particularly but I think I've enough control of the adrenaline to not have time distorted perception.
6. I'm still ready to keep learning.

More upsides than down really.

Following a tip in the comments from the other day, I'm making a visual guide I can pin above my monitor. It will remind me of the options when the battered wastes of my mind can no longer cope with decision.

I'm thinking I should spend more time in EFT rather than my bad habit of fitting mainly to what is stored in my hangar at the time. I'm building up reserves of modules but a lack of consideration for some utility items and a lack of meta items is causing problems. Someone add ship spinning to EFT!


EVE Track of the Day

Feng  Shui - Gnarls Barkley (what else?)


17 comments:

  1. If you're planning on kiting, try an MWD and a t2 long point mate.

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    1. I had the long point and totally failed to use it, though I think my opponent was on AB too. I have a whole dilemma about MWD in that they can be shut down so easily. I'm not sure what I think about that. More experiments required I think.

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  2. It is an interesting read. I cannot learn this way. It only leads to frustration. I do not understand how to learn by failing and having no other feedback.

    How do you know what's right? Even some right and some wrong will just remix guesses. But its a personality thing. I'm glad you are working g under a fun method for yourself.

    Even if you do not want to be fed fits having discussion about theory is not bad and helps to fill in holes.

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    1. The feedback is in the experience. At first I got nothing because all I recalled was an adrenaline blur. Now I've started to recall details I fit them into a new hypothesis and try that. Learning by Burning is the EVE combat scientific method. I'll fail a lot but the lessons will be deeply embedded, reasoned and most importantly fit my own personal style. That said, I could do with reading more about theory discussion and for that I go to The Altruist. Once things start to pick up I'll head to Molden Heath and you can demonstrate some of the things I've missed! ;)

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    2. Doubtful :) I am a fleet fighter with no actual interest in solo or 1v1. Chat is always open for theory chatter with people (IE: not me) who have a clue.

      Unless someone is stealing my lootz. It seems I attack in a blind rage at that point because stuff.

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    3. Well, I might have to call the THC and see if I can join one of your fleets for a scrap or two. Is the THC public channel just for recruitment or for joint ops/amusement too?

      OTOH : if someone is stealing your goodies and I'm in the area, I could help out. I haven't tried kamikaze as an attack hypothesis yet. Not intentionally anyway.

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    4. It's a chat channel for hanging out. Only my more social tolerant corp members (and Ender who is neither) are there. Were pretty open to people joining our fleets. We are silly enough to play for fun.

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  3. I do a little of both... probably like many in EvE. I listen to the pundits (well, them as think they are Pundits if Fits) and I try things on my own... what I 'see' is it always boils down to not 'your' fit and not 'his' fit... but the combo at the time. If you are kite fit in a fast drone boat and he is brawl fit in a slower blaster frig, then you 'should' have the upper hand... stay out of his range, point web and let the drones eat away at him. I love the Algos and this is how I fly her... BUT, if he if fit for longer range and faster and he gets 'inside' your kite... then his Blaster DPS can down you before your drones can do for him... it is never 'the' fit... it is the combo.

    So I fit to my boats bonuses and for the role I fly best in that boat and then it's all about the Intel. I so wish I dual boxed... a scout and an attack boat are so much more effective than a lone wolf lookin for armed sheep... in PvP Intel on your opponent is everything. An yea, there is a lot you can know what to expect from a given ship if the fit is to it's bonuses... but not always...

    And PvE... I have a Fit for PvE that if I published it would prolly result in bounties on my heard for "Did you SEE that fit???" It is a BS w/ OMG!) mixed guns! Yup.. a few AC's w/ the rest Arty... why? Cause I can kill FRIGS w/ it... which I cannot do with the Accepted Fit for mishes in that boat... but with webber Drones the ACs crush the Frigs and the Arty does for the rest... works GREAT for me, but would cause extreme trolling on any TS server or Forum...

    I do a lot of pre-PYFA though and try to never limit myself to just whats in the can... prefer to fit at a hub but always after PYFAing and exporting to Client... then I just buy right off the saved fit screen.

    Of course, in SYJ I go with the fits they setup for me... in Fleet you are a tool, a fist or a claw or a drain for the FC to use... in that caase I want him to have the Fist,CLaw or Drain he needs and understands... but Fleet is a very different animal... =]

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    1. Yeah, I'm a bit wary of organised Fleet ops. I'll get there. I need to learn how to fly my own way before I enter fleets. I'd learn little about flying there thanks to the way I approach stuff.

      Fitting from the Can: Ever done T2 industry? Makes you think twice about fitting T2 from the market. Some of it is fearsome. I don't even want to tell you the margins I've got on some mods in the past. It's those figures that in part make me reticent. Now my production phase has fallen off I'm restocking slowly and starting to think about buy orders to build long term resource dumps in certain places.

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    2. PS - I can dual box, and have a cloaky scout pretty much ready to go but I'm learning one ship at a time at the moment before committing my alt to scout duties and having to manage two ships. Managing one is proving difficult for non intel reasons.

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    3. Fleets are different. I think you have more worries about not being knowledgeable enough or comfortable enough with the peeps.

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  4. Nope on the Industry... we leave such things to the help... and Mab. He runs the help. =]

    as for dual boxing... hell man I die enough as tis, dun't need be trippin all over my Alt-tab and dyin cause I'm reppin the Eminy and firing on my own drones... LOL

    I know one guy in EvE who really is like fighting 2 guys when he duals... and he usually flies a Falcon (ECM) and whatever DPS ship he is currently in love with... usually some flavor of T3... and he is EFFIN DEADLY... Scary deadly. Me? I have trubble just bein me... =\

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  5. If I may draw your attention to the other guys Tristan fit...

    I might try flying it. The Dragoon is better at this type of fit with the bonuses and all, but this looks like fun at half the price. I'd try to stay away from A/C frigs and kiters in it, but if you can get close to a blaster brawler you should be able to give them a nasty surprise.

    The tank looks paper-thin, though.

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  6. Hey that was a fun fight, the reason you died was you allowed me to burn in for the scram, thus eliminating your speed advantage.

    My only tip would be to troll Battleclinic top 100 pilot losses, find someone you know or who has killed you and see how they are fitting. Being a member of QCATs has the big advantage of multiple awesome pvp guys to teach you why you failed :)

    Keep it up!

    Chan Omari

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    1. Hey! It was a good fight. I knew that range thing killed me. How did you close it down? Manual flying? MWD? At the start I thought I had the range and you managed to close.

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    2. You have to keep adjusting and reevaluating range the whole fight. People shouldn't stay still and keep at reacts slow enough to screw you when working fine distances.

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    3. Always manual flying until I can get in close, then the orbit button works so I can manage the other mods.

      You tried to take a 90 degree angle from me, so I overheated the old AB and choose an intersection point in space, scram, Nuet, boom :)

      Chan

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