Ninja 101 (Part 1: Overview and Scanning)

I'm bored and my internet is being too uncooperative to play EVE so I thought I'd start a guide to everything in EVE that I know how to do, starting with ninjaing.  I know I'm not gonna get called out by my corp-mates because, lets face it, not that many people read this blog at the moment.  Anyway, mylootyourtears.com gets more hits and Khalia, Paul and Aiden give everything away!  So here goes:

Ninja 101 Overview

This guide is going to be a multi-part, mostly complete overview of the art of the Ninja Salvager.  This introduction piece will hopefully tell you which skills you will wish to train so that you are optimized for Hunting, Baiting and Killing your targets.

Part 1: Scanning

Scanning is probably one of the most essential skills for a ninja to have, crucial if they want to operate solo.  Scanning is not just task that requires Skill Points, but it also requires a real finesse and eye for scanning marks as well as knowledge of how to set up, resize and manage probes.  Since the release of Incarna, it has also been exponentially harder to scan in EVE.  This means you need every advantage you can get, so train all your support skills to the recommended level [RL: __] shown below next to the skill name.  You should also look into some implants if you plan on ninja-ing regularly, or at least scanning regularly.

Essential Skills to Train:
Astrometrics [RL:IV] Increases maximum number of probes by 1 per level, max probes 8 at level 5
Astrometric Pinpointing [RL:IV] Reduces Max. Scan Deviation by 10%
Astrometric Acquisition [RL:IV] 10% Reduction in Scan Time per level
Astrometric Rangefinding [RL:IV] 10% Increase in Scan Probe Strength per level
Covert Ops [RL:IV] Skill at using covert ops ships, gives a bonus to scanning
Racial Frigate of Choice to Level V Allows use of a covert ops ship, winmatar is optimal for Orca as it is the smallest covert ops ship.  Also allows easy training to Jaguar assault ship for baiting.

Implants:
[Slots 1-6:] Low-Grade Virtue Set Pros: Greatly increases scan probe strength.  Cons: Cost (1.6 Billion ISK), low attribute enhancement (only +2 points)
[Slot 6:] Hardwiring - Poteque Pharmaceuticals 'Prospector' PPF-1 or PPF-2 Reduces Max Scan Deviation by 6% or 10%
[Slot 7:] Hardwiring - Poteque Pharmaceuticals 'Prospector' PPG-1 or PPG-2 Reduces Scan time by 6% or 10%
[Slot 8:] Hardwiring - Poteque Pharmaceuticals 'Prospector' PPH-1 or PPH-2 Increase Scan strength by 6% or 10% 

Items:
Covert Ops Ship: Cheetah, Helios, Buzzard and Anathema are all covert ops ships, a must have for any ninja.
Combat Probes and Expanded Probe Launcher: Allows you to scan down ships
Sister's Scanner and Combat Probes: Grants additional bonuses to scan strength, not as necessary for the average ninja, especially the probes.  Launcher is always a plus.


Technique:

Your scanning technique will depend a great deal upon your skills and implants.  I currently don't have implants or great skills, but here is the technique taught to me by another ninja who is an excellent scanner (can scan a system at a rate to keep 2-3 active ninja's happy + self).  He has all the recommended skills and the prospectors (cannot afford virtue set) along with a covert ops ship and sisters probes/launcher.

Here is the ideal layout:

Click to Embiggen

From this position, you will probably not get a direct 100% hit on any ship unless it is a marauder or some MWDing battleship.  For the most part you will have to move your probes (press and hold shift while left clicking  and dragging on any of the arrows) along the x, y, and z axis; resize (click a probe in scanning window, hit "control" + "a" and right click to resize); and move your formation inwards or outwards ("alt" and left click on any of the arrows and drag mouse) so that you have an overlap once more in the middle of your formation.

It is fairly straightforward once you get the hang of it, but play around and start to learn the little tags (The boxes on the overview are the same as in scanning) and what size ship the correspond to.  Also, you may wish to adjust your filters so that you can skip over certain ships.  I personally avoid industrials and barges, but that's me.

This same technique can be used to scan down anything else, provided that you change your probes (core probes for looking for things like wormholes and exploration sites).  Learning to scan opens up a whole (hehe... cause you can find wormholes) new dimension to EVE giving you lucrative new careers to pursue.

Part 2: Baiting coming soon


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Bot Bot, Do the Robot

The other day I learned about the report bot feature which was recently added to EVE.  Let's just say I hope CCP doesn't ban me from the button =D.  This feature is so useful, be it for lulz or for actually reporting a bot (there are so many these days...), there will hopefully be a downturn in the number of them.

That aside, I've been ninjaing but haven't been shot by anyone since my last happy ninja post.    I'm currently trying to decide what to train up for after I can T2 fit a Hawk class Assault Frigate.  They are so fun to fly and are pretty badass for salvaging missions.  I may also replace my Dramiel with a Worm, since my Dramiel only sees action during active war time patrols and is therefore useless all the rest of my playing time. 

Will hopefully have another blogpost ready after I actually get on later tonight, but right now I got to run (literally =D).

Fly Dangerously, Die Epically,

Hianmar, a.k.a. TheEVEGamer

Null Sec again??

While many of us don't like Incarna, the Ninja's of EVE witnessed a nerfing of our income of the past few months. 

Perhaps the first nerf to Ninja income, but one that most won't be seen complaining about, is the new rigs.  But it was the start of the lowering of salvage prices to the point where one can barely get by via ninjaing.  Then came the Noctis.  This little "designated salvage" vessel takes no skill whatsoever to outstrip a ninja.  It also flooded the market with salvage which lowered prices.

Another nerf, little known perhaps, was the fuck up with the Orca swapping.  Some ninja's use this practice to "hot swap" to a gank ship in space.  Normal "orca swaps" took the ship you were flying, put it in the bay for you and automatically boarded the new ship for you.  However, with the accidental nerf the ship you were flying would be left in space.  Most inconvenient.  This put a great many ninja's off their game for about a week, including myself.

The third and perhaps most annoying nerf was to scanning.  I have Astrometics 4 and the support skills at 2 or 3.  This used to be fine during the pre-Incarna days.  I could scan down almost any ship within 2 or 3 scans.  Now it is nigh impossible for me to scan anything and the people with excellent skills are finding it difficult as well.  This was supposed to be an improvement, but it only helps those with optimum skills.

Either way, I am not amused with Incarna or Ninjaing at this point.  I have another set of skills to get up 5/4/4/4 now since EVE is being stupid, which means remapping and all that jazz, none of which I am currently prepared to do as I still have many ships, guns and missiles to train for :)

Depending on my mood in the coming weeks, I may be returning to null security space, this time with TEST.  Several ninja's in corp have already joined and they seem to be having fun.  I may send an alt out there, I may send my main or I may send everyone out there.  I really don't know.

I am currently trying to decide, bear with me here =/

Hianmar, a.k.a. TheEVEGamer

PS: If any one in TEST is a reader, pleas

Designing an Internet Spaceship

I've been looking into the Devian Art finalists, or semi finalists whatever, and I have to say there are only a few that strike me as interesting, cool, or practical.  However, the one that really takes the cake in my opinion would have to be the one to the left.  Designed by *dreamwa1ker, it has all of the above; Its cool, practical and interesting.  It is just too epic.  Not too mention he includes plans for the other three races.

Since my alt has been getting the skills to use more and more tech two stuff, looking at this awesome looking minmatar battleship really has me drooling.  The thought is there, he plans out mid, low and high slots!  He has cargo, base stats, drones and hardpoints!  JUST READING IT IS MAKING IT APPEAR TO CLOSE TO REALITY!

So yeah, my votes with this guy.  I hope he wins, I want my own Tornado.

Incursion

So, as it turns out, CCP will in fact be releasing an expansion this winter.  So far, it looks to be pretty interesting, and will greatly benefit the PvE players of EVE.  There will be a salvaging vessel based off the Primae hull, AI improvements, and many other small but tasty goodies to the world of the carebear.

Hold on, that's not me.  Damn.

Anyway, there are some things I will be able to use, and some that I find to be pretty sweet.  Take for instance the new character creator!  I finally get to redo my fail character portrait from way back in 2008, when I had no clue what I was doing.  WOOT!  Also, they are introducing a new PI control system, hopefully reducing all the "click, click, click, damn, click..." to a "Click, there we go!" scenario.

But perhaps the coolest thing coming in this expansion, from a PvPer's standpoint is this: "Further improvements include... a Sansha Mothership, Fighterbomber..."  That's right.  You read it,  a Sansha Mothership and Fighterbomber.  That is some serious kick ass!

Also coming with Incursion are improvements to nodes and grid, so hopefully there won't be too many visits from that creature of the abyss, "Lag". 

Hoping your days are prosperous and a fight is never far away,

Hianmar, a.k.a. The EVE Gamer