Goon Director Miscue Equals IT/-A- Victory
A little bit of preface work here. I have been a member of the GBC. I have also fought against the GBC. I am neither "pro-BoB" or "anti-BoB."
With that being said, karma is a bitch, isn't it Goons? From a Goon member on the Scrapheap-Challenge forums:
Here’s what happened: all of the systems that were lost were the ones with TCUs that were seeded by CCP. Their sov bills all came in at once – today. So how did we lose our space? The same way xdeathx now confirms that he lost his sov. He, too, set auto bill pay up like we did. However, he fucked up and had the alliance’s money in the wrong wallet division. Since the bills could not be paid, the TCUs all unanchored at the same time…
…So, the bad news: We lost NOL, F-T, I1Y, 1-s, and a few stations in querious. Also our JB system is dead and most of our important jammers are gone. Years of hard work literally ruined by a failure to check a box.
I have to say, I have absolutely no sympathy for the Goons. None. Zero. They won the second Delve War with a single button push, so I have no problem with them losing Delve now due because their directors were too lazy to either pay the bill, or ensure that enough money was in the correct Wallet Division to cover the automatic payments. I have confirmed with both Atlas and Morsus Mihi directors that they received notice three days ago that there were insufficient funds to cover the upcoming sov bills. Both of those alliances managed to hold onto their sov because their alliance-level directors were on the ball with shifting the appropriate funds in a timely manner.
And kudos to IT (and -A-) for taking significant and important chunks of Delve when the opportunity arose. For all of the hubbub that The Mittani made of BoB's capital ship debacle, it is sweeter still to see it being repeated once again. During the second Delve War, BoB made the critical mistake of logging the majority of their capital assets off in a station that was then perma-camped for the rest of the war. Without their capital ships to field en masse, the GBC was unable to repel hostile cap fleets, or reinforce towers planted in their crucial systems.
Now we see that the same situation, to an extent, is happening with the Goons in J-L. I have been told the following by a friend with an alt in Goonfleet:
[19:53] Mr. Smith: there are a lot of caps trapped in station
[19:53] Mr. Smith: pretty much anyone who didn't have a JC or wasn't docked where their caps were is screwed
[19:54] Mr. Smith: some people got their stuff out ,but the both stations were taken around 11am pst, well before most goons ever log on
The Mittani is reassuring his Swarm, though, that they have enough spies in IT that it is only a matter of time before they are able to recoup all of the capitals and other assets.
All in all, I have to say that this may have been the best day to happen to EVE in a long, long time. I can say that even though I'm neither positively or negatively impacted by it. Instead I sit from a distance with a huge smile on my face feeling, for the first time in a long time, the balance of power in EVE is right back to where it is supposed to be. I never liked BoB on top of the dog pile, but if they were to be taken down I wanted it done through legitimate in-game actions rather than a director in the holding corp pulling the plug and charting their course to inevitable defeat.
As Matthew Geary would say, "The ancestors surely had their hand in the events of today."
Fun associated links:
White Talon Chronicles: Kickoff
Images floated across his HUD as Matthew Geary floated peacefully in the artificial amniotic fluid. The number being displayed kept climbing, out of the single millions and spiraling further upward quickly. That is a lot of tritanium... Geary thought to himself.
A communication channel acknowledgment began blinking, and Geary willed it open.
"Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing?" Schwigg asked incredulously, the excitement audible in the computer-simulated voice.
"Yeah. These guys really know their stuff." Geary replied. That Schwigg was showing this much excitement about the results of their Opening Bell kickoff spoke volumes. In the four years that they'd worked together, Geary could only recall two other instances that had warranted such an emotional response.
"If you don't mind, Cap, I'd love to discuss the specifics about getting these guys into some more capable vessels. Look at what they did with a bunch of Ospreys and Retrievers. Imagine what they'd be able to accomplish with Covetors or Hulks."
Despite himself, Geary smiled in his capsule. He never is satisfied, is he? The thought, though, it was quickly answered with another. That's why he's in charge of our Logistics operations.
"You're the money man, Schwigg. When you have had the chance to fully quantify the results from the kickoff operations, let me know and we can talk about upgrades to their vessels."
That the reminder of his duties quenched some of the the excitement was evident when Schwigg belatedly replied, "...yes Sir..."
"Oh, and Schwigg..." Geary said, shortly before closing the comm channel, "Let the guys know just how much we appreciate all of their hard work."
With the communication channel closed, Geary focused once more on the exterior of his ship, manipulating the camera drones to take stock of the situation. Traffic was incredibly heavy this close to Jita, though it'd grow even heavier as he progressed the last few jumps to the largest market hub in New Eden. He couldn't stand Jita, it was far too crowded for his liking, but the fact remained that it was the "it" spot in the galaxy. Anything you could possibly want to buy, whether it be ship, equipment, ammunition, or crew you could be found at the lowest prices the galaxy could possibly offer.
Its popularity also made it a great place to procure information of a more sensitive nature. Schwigg had done an extensive amount of digging at Geary's request after the startling revelation that the CPD has vetted the corporate application through the normal Concord approval cycle. Every avenue that his Minmatar partner had pursued, however, had let to a dead end. Every lead but one.
[i]To willingly walk into the lion's den, armed with nothing buy guile and grace...[/i] Geary thought, bemused. The lead was a former Caldari Navy agent who had accepted a new role within the CPD, working as a liason between the two organizations. Schwigg had worked with the fellow sometime in the past, and while he vouched for the authenticity of his contact's information, it came with a disclaimer.
"Orlen Tamoiro will tell you the truth, but he almost certainly has his own agenda as well." Schwigg had said. "He also wasn't surprised to hear from us, and that scares the hell out of me."
Geary's ship shuddered a final time before the soothing priority override on his communications system broadcasted, "Docking request accepted." For better or for worse, his Moa-class cruiser was now docked inside of the Caldari Navy Assembly Station orbitting around Jita 4-4, and he had a meeting with someone that might very well end with a trip to the Detention Block.
OOC - A very special thanks to the following WTE members that showed up and mined/hauled their butts off:
cavalier7
Conan Samson
Czuuk
FifDSeven
gudea
Ieharu
Mctavoish
PhilAlex3
Sorin Markov
Silvie Girard
Schwigg
Zaratustra
WTE Press Release: Operation Opening Bell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
White Talon Enterprises Announces Operation Opening Bell
JITA, The Forge -White Talon Enterprises today introduced Operation Opening Bell, a corporate drive towards the two billion ISK mark spearheaded by the Logistics Division. "It is my hope that setting this ambitious goal right off the bat will set the bar high for continued excellence within the corporation," said Schwigg, WTE's Logistic Division Commander. "
The end result of this ISK drive is the purchase of a Nomad-class Jump Freighter, produced by the Minmatar Republic. Jump Freighters combine all of the exceptional hauling power of traditional freighters with jump drives capable of instantaneously transporting them across several light years of space. In addition, Jump Freighters also boast superior defensive systems allowing for the greater absorption of damage should they come under attack.
"Our corporate money making opportunities expand exponentially with the procurement of a jump freighter," said Schwigg. "Not only can we haul incredible amounts of resources reliably, we can bypass the more dangeous areas of New Eden with ease. We will be able to leap deep into low security and nullsec space without worry, carrying vital supplies with us."
WTE intends to spare no moneymaking expense in procuring the necessary funds for their Nomad. "We will be mining, trading, exploring, producing, and fighting to achieve the necessary ISK for this project. Every division within White Talon will be stretched to the limit to make this operation a success."
WTE is a dedicated security corporation partnered with the New Bastion alliance. It is currently seeking applications for the following positions:
- Security personnel
- Covert pilots
- Mining captains
- Manufacturing assistants
- Procurement specialists
- Corporate liaisons*
Experience in these fields is preferred, but entry level positions for the inexperienced are also available.
CONTACT:
Matthew Geary
White Talon Enterprises
mgeary@newbastion.com
http://blog.newbastion.com
- END -
* - Corporate liaisons denote mission runners
WTE officially joins New Bastion
I'd previously announced that White Talon Enterprises would be joining the New Bastion alliance, of which OUCH is also a member. Tonight the 24 hour stasis period for the corp ended, and our new alliance tab popped up next to "Corp".
Open recruitment is set to begin on Monday, but we already have 20 members that are either already in corp, or are waiting for their roles to expire in their current place of employment. This is great news, as if I've learned anything about recruiting over the years (and trust me, I haven't learned much), it is that a certain critical mass needs to be reached before recruitment becomes "easier." Everyone wants to join something that is already active...but for that corp to be active it needs to have people in the first place. Thus a sort of "chicken and the egg" syndrome easily develop, killing recruitment before it ever begins.
I'd like to thank the very friendly pilots over at Intrasella Productions Ltd. for agreeing to merge their activities into the WTE Logistics Division. I know people usually don't like to give up their "sovereignty", but in this case both groups profited more than either would have individually. And to think, recruiting Logistics Division members were what I was really worried about. Looks like they're already ahead of the curve...while my own Security Division is lagging behind with only 8 committed pilots so far (again, we haven't begun openly recruiting).
Here's hoping the next couple of weeks pay dividends with quality pilots. Our goal by the end of February is 50 active pilots in corp, though I'd honestly like to see that somewhere closer to 75. If you know anyone that is interested in a growing corp with a real purpose, real organization, and real direction, send them my way. 
Sniper HACs and Battlecruisers – The Pinnacle of Alliance Warfare
Once upon a time, an alliance bringing 50 T2 sniper-fit battleships into enemy territory could crush the opposition. Later, a corp bringing 25 nanoships into enemy territory could tear an alliance apart (true story...ask me about it some time). Still later, the pendulum swung back to supertanked and/or long range battleships. Now? Sniper HACs/BCs rule the day.
What changed that brought/is bringing sniper HACs/BCs up to the pinnacle of alliance warfare? Before the change to doomsdays, very few ships out there could survive the "double doomsday" that would otherwise clear the field during alliance fleet fights. Fleet-fit battleships could. They were tanked and buffered enough so that they could stay the course in the battle, dishing out punishment while frantically calling for reps.
When the doomsday got changed from a huge AoE to a focused death ray, the single biggest threat to a sniper HAC/BC gang was gone. As Atlas has shown repeatedly in the north, if you bring 150 sniper HACs/BCs to a fight against 150 sniper BSs, the smaller ships prevail every...single...time. Why is that?
1) Cruiser-sized ships can lock faster than their big brothers. Nearly twice as fast, or more, in many cases. So while the battleships are still waiting to apply fire into the hostiles, the T2 cruisers have not only let loose their first barrage, but are working on their second.
2) When they reach critical mass, as in the case of a 150v150 fleet fight, sniper HACs are still able to alpha a fleet-fit battleship. That means that volley one, dead battleship. Volley two, dead battleship. Volley three, dead battleship.
3) Not only can they lock and alpha-strike an opposing fleet's battleships, their guns cycle much more quickly. The volleys come in rapid waves instead of 7-30 second intervals.
4) With their smaller sig radius and ability to maintain transversal, some battleship-sized weaponry will have problems hitting...or hitting with max damage. Cruiser-sized weapons, on the other hand, will very easily track the larger, slower battleships...delivering maximum damage a greater majority of the time.
5) They are better able to dictate the range *they* want to the battleships. They're faster and more agile in almost every occasion.
6) They can act as their own anti-support. Battleship-sized weapons have a hard time hitting speedy little interceptors/dictors that wish to hold them on the field. Cruiser-sized weapons don't have that problem. Thus more of the fleet can be fit and shipped to engage at the same range against the same targets, giving the overall fleet a greater amount of flexibility in their targets.
So let's sum up a bit, shall we? Once critical mass has been reached, sniper HACs can one-volley enemy battleships down. Not only that, they can lock on before the enemy battleships do, ensuring that their first volley gets in before the hostiles does, *and* their volleys come in much more quickly. So in a given time frame of a fleet fight, you may see 10 hostile battleships destroyed, while only 2-5 sniper HACs. When you're talking about a sniper HAC fleet chopping away at the odds so quickly, you can see why a sniper BS fleet isn't the counter to a sniper HAC fleet. Just ask the NC, who are currently stuck in their outdated thinking, and thus losing battles (and regions) much more quickly than most of us probably could have imaged.
Obviously this is glossing over many of the tactics, maneuvers, and strategies involved by both kinds of fleets. This wasn't meant to be an in-depth analysis, but rather a cursory look at one of the fundamental shifts that is occurring/has occurred in 0.0 alliance warfare. Are sniper HACs/BCs *always* superior to sniper battleships? Heavens no. They require a certain critical mass to be reached before the former is better than the latter. But once that number is reached where insta-popping an opposing fleet-fit battleship is certain, numbers routinely seen in today's fleet fights, that is where you see the edge really come into play.
Follow up:
Wanting to see this principle in action? Try the following links:
http://killboard.atlas-alliance.com/?a=kill_related&kll_id=142284
http://killboard.atlas-alliance.com/?a=kill_related&kll_id=136784
(Probably the best example)
http://killboard.atlas-alliance.com/?a=kill_related&kll_id=140701
(This one is a bit lopsided, but still good)
Character going…going…gone!
A special thanks to Lord Richi for a successful conclusion to my character auction. When I first listed Marcus up on the Character Bazaar, I honestly didn't think that I'd get as much for him as I did. After all, his character skills were highly specialized in a narrow field which, while fun, isn't the most useful to a typical person in a 0.0 alliance. And while I set the buy out price at 6.5B, I knew deep down that was likely unrealistic for a character not even trained in battleship weaponry, or able to fly a HAC.
Thankfully Lord Rishi came to my rescue, and has given Marcus a great new home. That means that Matthew Geary's probing skills need to get up there in a hurry, to replace the one functional area that Marcus performed that my main isn't really qualified for. Besides, would you use a character with 70M+ SP on a task that a new character could perform in just a couple of days? I don't think so.
With my wallet now far deeper than it has ever been previously, I'm left wondering what to do with the extra ISK. I've already set aside 1B to invest in White Talon Enterprises' currently-unannounced Logistics Project...so that leaves me with 4B ISK that can really go wherever it is needed. Prudence dictates that I squirrel the money away, while my "spend it while you've got it" nature is telling me, "Wouldn't it be great to get a Panther. And a Tengu. And a Machariel? You've always wanted those items, Cal. Dooooooo it."
Ah, the war between prudence and frivolity waged once again.
Question for the People:
If you suddenly had 4 billion isk in your wallet, what would you do with it? Keep it? Spend it? Play the market to get more? Invest it?
Graphically Representin’
Schwigg, Logistics Director for White Talon Enterprises, has done a fantastic job putting together a small press release image for us. But even better, he also worked hard on producing a simply great killboard banner for WTE as well.
Thank you Schwigg for your hard work. They look great!
Shout Out
Just wanted to extend a heart felt, "Hey man, hope you're doing alright, I'm here if you need me!" to Matt/Unreal. Best PvPer I've had the opportunity to fly with over my many years in EVE, and a great friend to boot.
Carry on.
WTE Press Release: Announcing White Talon Enterprises
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
White Talon Enterprises Announces Formal Incorporation
JITA, The Forge - At 16:24 Standard Time on 1.20.112, White Talon Enterprises' application for formal corporate status within the Caldari State was approved. Matthew Geary, CEO of White Talon Enterprises (WTE), had the following to say: "This is a momentous day for White Talon agents and employees. Today is the first step towards a reclaimed and powerful State."
WTE is a dedicated security corporation partnered with the New Bastion alliance. It is currently seeking applications for the following positions:
- Security personnel
- Covert pilots
- Mining captains
- Manufacturing assistants
- Procurement specialists
- Corporate liaisons*
Experience in these fields is preferred, but entry level positions for the inexperienced are also available.
White Talon Enterprises is a true son of State corporate culture, refined by a distinctly Matari influence. Geary on the Caldari-Minmatar connection within the corporation: "The Matari are a proud, strong people. The State could do worse than to learn from the Minmatar. We have more in common than most think...it was not that long ago that we too were oppressed."
White Talon Enterprises is proud to house experts and industry leaders in multiple fields. Geary on this topic: "The Fleet Commanders and Logistical staff we have in place within the corporation are second-to-none. Their drive, determination, and experience are true assets. With them, we will make the State a better place to be."
CONTACT:
Matthew Geary
White Talon Enterprises
mgeary@newbastion.com
http://blog.newbastion.com
- END -
* - Corporate liaisons denote mission runners
Character Sale
I hate to do it. Marcus has been a treasured character now for several years, but the time has come to let him go. Finances are a little tight in the wake of getting married, and I'm pairing down my EVE accounts as a result.
This does not impact White Talon, OUCH, or New Bastion at all. I will be remaining in/working with those entities as much as I have been before.
If you would like a great Amarr-focused small-ship pilot, check out the sale thread on the EVE-O forums. As an aside, he's just a few days away from finishing both Caldari Cruiser V and Heavy Assault Missiles V...both are mostly finished already. A full link to all of his skills is included in the auction thread.
Thanks, and happy bidding!