Monday 23 November 2015

Testing escallations with a new partner

After my last post about C5 wormhole escalations, I have a new triage pilot in our C5.  My previous partner has a very demanding first life commitment, and while playing, is just after simple pew pew after 70 hour per first life working week

So off to singularity (the testing server) with my new partner.  In part to see how he will work out, and in part to see how I will handle the webbing loki component.

We know that we want at least federation navy stasis webifiers, for the increased range.  The problem is, how to get them.  I don't know of an eve-central service for the test servers.  I possibly could point a crest based scraper at one but .. end up finding 6 of them by flying around.  Most major trade hubs were sold out. My nullsec region had a few left, with only 3 days remaining.  And one of the highsec regions (Sinq Laison I think), had 1.  My partner had 2 from some source, so between us we could fit out 2 lokis.

So, the good news is that you can find faction gear on singularity markets for a time at least.  The bad news?  Those player orders sell out and expire.  The best news?  Part way through writing this post, singularity was re-mirrored.  Be prepared, buy some parts and put them aside for testing.  I recommend that you buy what you need rather than buy everything out there.  (http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Test_server_rules "Do not make mass market purchases or create oversized stacks of items. ..." )  Also do not expect your items to be available in Jita.   Someone else has probably bought them out already.  Hunt the secondary markets or source systems.

Finally, if you are more organised, on tranquility (live) have a couple of ships fit with items you might want later.  Then on Singularity (test) there is a /copyships command that clones (almost) all your ships from the last mirror and places them into one of the nullsec combat systems.   From there you can /moveme to your relevant type of space (trade hubs, different wormholes etc)

After much stuffing around getting fits, off to Singuality's /moveme C5 and then the neighbouring static, where I promptly lose the Moros to sleepers.  Sleepless guardians orbit at 35k and scram and web to 40k.  Which means my baby boosted Loki, is outwebbed with only 35k .  (I can web one or 2 but they are continuously leaving range) Even more annoying is the bear's mistake of not overheating for the additional range.  My partner warps in his better skilled loki and webs for me, and I grab a second Moros (we were not entirely disorganised), and all of a sudden the sleepers die a quick death.

The following weekend I have Minmatar Electronics 5 on my Loki pilot and it goes well, no stress, sleepers falling one after the other.

How to get that magic 40k (without overheating)?

Module : Federation Navy Stasis Webifier has a base range of 14km. 
Module Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers with Minimatar electronics system Level 5 increases webbing range to 35k.  This is not enough to reliably web the sleepers.
Booster : Unbonused battlecruiser with  Skirmish warfare link - Interdiction Maneuvers 1, with Skirmish Warfare Link Specialist 4. This reaches the magic 40k with some room to spare, and now I out-range the sleepers webs and orbit.

Tech 2 links and boosting ships with bonuses (command or strategic cruiser) would be wonderful for another 6k range but ... instead do what you can with what you have (while training for better).