Much like EVE Online has evolved over its 20-year history, so have I.

I started playing EVE Online in 2009, intrigued by the idea of ratting amongst the asteroid belts in a Rokh.

Little did I know what I was getting involved with.

Since 2009, I have progressed from mining to missions to transport to combat to incursions, with even null-sec operations and supercarrier-krabbing under my belt.

EVE Online has had a positive influence upon me, especially with the idea that it has made me a wiser and more learned man with respect to finances and protection against scams.

I often draw comparisons to EVE Online and how conducting oneself in EVE mirrors how one might conduct oneself in reality. There are many similarities to how one approaches life out of EVE, as well as within.

The major lessons that stick with me include a sense of maintaining financial responsibility, caution before making great or large purchases, avoiding living beyond your means, dodging scam attempts, and in particular “Don’t sign a contract before reading it.” That’s saved my bacon in EVE Online, as well as with false job applications and even product purchases. You have no idea how slimy some end user license agreements or purchasing contracts can be for everyday items (including smartphones, especially considering I once worked for a major cellular service provider). With respect to financial stability and responsibility, I never make major purchases in EVE Online unless I have the means of recovering from my expenditures and closing my efforts at an “ISK-positive status” (i.e., progressing beyond the highest point of financial achievement that my wallet has ever maintained). In this manner, my total ISK value has progressively increased over the last 16 years, and I have never closed a year in the negative.

My real life has mirrored similar success. Since finding full-time employment in as a pizza delivery driver when I was down to the last $500 in my bank account in 2014, I have continually achieved better financial circumstances. In 7 years, I became a cybersecurity administrator for a major corporation, and am now in a position to invest in the stock market, live my life with some sense of entertainment, and save for a place of my own (although I never forgot where I came from and how much I struggled throughout my career). I never forgot the lessons EVE taught me – to mind my expenditures, to save money and spend it responsibly, and never invest in anything unless you are able to recover from it in the event of disaster (or it looks really untrustworthy).

EVE Online also taught me to stand up for myself and my friends – to learn how to defend myself when attacked or a scam attempt lands in my inbox. While I wasn’t in a circumstance where I was being physically threatened, I know how to resist efforts to subject me to a scam attempt or take advantage of my trust to deprive me financially, even beyond my cybersecurity training. I’m not afraid to file reports, to submit requests for inquiry into illicit financial activity, and most certainly, I know what to look for when it comes to unsavory individuals trying to scam innocent people out of their hotel rooms for conventions.

I now serve as a chat moderator for a number of major groups and conventions, and I have become something of an expert in identifying scam attempts. Whereas many will simply block a scammer and move on, I actively reach out to administrators of chat channels to report these individuals and have them removed to protect the group. I am now working the logistics of hosting panels at the conventions I attend on how to spot, evade, and decimate fake hotel reservation offer scams, and how to properly advertise your own hotel room legitimately.

EVE Online may be a game, but it’s a game that can teach real-life lessons, if you are willing to learn.

Another pixilated ship competition, eh? Let’s do it!

Hmm…definitely looks like the Enforcer.

“The Astero covert transport fit converts the frigate into a small, agile, fast-warping, and discreet platform that can move high-value cargo over great distances while avoiding hostile camps and traps along the way. Be mindful of undock corridors and avoid hanging around at station perimeters for significant lengths of time.”

Just because you’re hauling doesn’t mean you have to make it lethally obvious, or haul the biggest packages, or make yourself a bit fat target.

When pilots think of “hauling” or transporting, they’ll often think of industrials or even freighters. However, our history shows that these vessels, and in particular freighters, are often the targets of gate killteams and pirates.

In the age of rampant attacks on transport pilots, now is the time when it pays to be discreet and unsuspecting.

Therefore, one “hauler” of choice is the Astero.

The Astero as a hull choice has several advantages. Firstly, as a frigate, it presents a smaller target that opposing forces in larger crafts and even destroyers will take some seconds to lock on to before they can even fire. Secondly, its primary focus, the Covert Ops cloak, can be activated the moment you begin aligning to your next gate, negating the enemy’s attempt to even lock onto you. By the time they even attempt to lock on, you will have warped off to the next gate and slipped beyond their camp.

This makes the Astero transporter variant particularly advantageous for transporting small high-value items to trade hubs over long-distances, provided you avoid hanging around at station undock corridors or the docking perimeters. Therefore, setting up pre-arranged docking bookmarks is vital, as is required for any transport assignment.

With maximum skills, the Microwarpdrive will allow the Astero to achieve speeds of almost 3km/sec, evading any gun trackers and minimizing any damage from missiles that manage to catch it.

As an alternative, the Afterburner presents a much smaller signature radius while still allowing for speeds over to 1km/sec.

[Astero, Astero Transporter]
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II

5MN Microwarpdrive II
1MN Afterburner II
Small Cap Battery II
Cap Recharger II

[Empty High slot]
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II




Hobgoblin II x5
Warrior II x5

The Machariel is a beast of a battleship, fit for hunting in any elements, including the most frigid and icy of remote areas.

Though the snow may coat its armor, nothing will stop this beast from pursuing and annihilating its target.

Remember when you used to be able to transport PLEX between stations?

I know of one pilot who left the game in epic fashion by shoving literally all of his PLEX into a shuttle, flying to Jita, and waiting for someone to take him out.

As I recall, none of the timecards actually dropped.

They were all destroyed with the killing blow.

Happy April Fools’ Day!

Ever gotten stuck? Really stuck? To the point that you maybe quit that particular videogame?

For me, it was Sonic 3, Carnival Night Zone, Act 2 – that infamous room with the cylinder that no one could figure out how to move. I’m sure that made a lot of kids cry.

I actually quit playing as Sonic over it and switched to Knuckles when I added Sonic and Knuckles to the console.

It took me 20 years to figure out that you could press ‘UP’ and ‘DOWN’ on your D-Pad to actually move the thing!

In space, no one can hear you scream, but if you dock up, you’ll hear lots of cool station ambience!

I noticed that a number of space station ambience was changed or implemented, and I’ve taken a liking to the Gallente space station style.

Specifically, the one in my home station of Couster, the Gallente Federal Navy Academy headquarters.

Many of the new capsuleers who start their journey into EVE Online for the Gallente Federation find themselves in Couster, which is one of three training hubs for the Federation.

The moment you undock from the station, the ambience unleashes this bombastic ‘grand reveal’ as you emerge from the docking bay and take your first steps into the vastness of space. Nearby transmissions echo throughout the area as instructors coordinate the movements and training of cadets and recruits. The lights of the station blaze brilliantly. The ambience is welcoming with intrigue and a sense of confidence, and is not imposing or intimidating.

Although, there used to be a series of uplifting beeps and tunes to occasionally accompany this, but I can’t seem to regenerate those moments…Hopefully they’re still intact because I really liked those!

You may include this audio in a follow-up reward! Fly safe!

Every corporation starts somewhere – every alliance begins with the first flag planted.

The Astrahus Citadel is Upwell Consortium’s “entry-level product.” Small by comparison to the rest of Upwell’s line of structures, it is a corporation and even alliance’s first step towards staking a claim to the vastness of space.

Astrahus Citadels are deployable structures which require both a Quantum Core and fuel blocks to function. They allow for all non-capital-class ship types to dock and tether themselves, including Orcas and freighters.

Astrahus structures allow for a wide range of services, including manufacturing and resource processing, cloning bays, and corporate hangar storage. However, they do not allow for market hubs to function – those services are reserved for Fortizars.

“Control” of a Citadel is similar to operating a ship, and even comes with a Fitting menu, allowing you to swap out modules and service components with relative ease. An Access List will allow a corporation or alliance to allow or deny access to the structure’s control interface, allowing a single pilot to inject and remove the Quantum Core, fuel, ammunition, and other facets necessary for functionality. The Astrahus can defend itself against attack with missile launchers and even fighters.

The Astrahus, while seemingly small and low-level compared to the more grand and specialized structures of the Upwell Consortium, is an excellent first step towards a greater empire that will undoubtedly expand the stars.