The Centaur has been found!

In World War II, a hospital ship named the Centaur was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland Coast in Australia, despite having being clearly marked as such. A few days ago, a search party launched to find the wreck of this ship, and were hoping to find it before Christmas Day.

It so happens, that they they found it.

An exclusion zone will be set up around the ship to stop looters and divers from disturbing the wreck.

Families of those that died aboard the Centaur and survivors will be taken out to the wreck in the new year to remember and say goodbye to those that were killed.

We can only hope now that Japan apologises for this senseless act.

Until next time

Lord Yu

Keeping your accounts safe

I’ve been reading ont the Eve forum that people have had their accounts hacked. There are several reasons for this. Usually the most common one is that players are buying isk. Not only is this considered cheating, it is very risky. Most isk sellers are hackers, and attempt to upload malicious software designed to steal your Eve username and password.

So how do you protect your Eve accounts?

DO NOT BUY ISK! As stated above, this is considered cheating and is the preferred way for hackers to gain access to usernames and passwords. Once the hackers have your username and password, they log into your account(s) and steal your items to sell on the market and your isk. If you do buy isk and your account(s) do get hacked, there’s not much you can do as CCP will probably take a close look at your account. If they see you have been buying isk, you might get lucky and just have the isk removed and be given a warning. Worst case scenario: that character you’ve been working on for a year and a half is no longer accessible because you’re account is banned, permanently (known as a perma-ban)

Change your password every so often. Usually once a month is good. If you have multiple Eve accounts, use multiple passwords.

Do not give out your username and password to ANYONE! Not even your partner. I trust my girlfriend with my life, but when it comes to my characters, forget it. I’ve spent close to 3 years developing one account alone, so if she thinks she’s logging on to that account and deleting it (don’t laugh, I’ve read about it happening), she can think again.

Make sure your firewall and anti-virus are up to date. Firewalls block suspicious packets of data, such as those associated with port sniffers (programs designed to detect open ports on your computer). Anti-virus programs, if they run in the background like mine does, will detect and stop malicious programs before they can be installed on your computer.

Don’t respond to emails asking for your username and password. CCP don’t need to know your username and password. They have access to your account(s) without needing your username and password. And I can only think of two reasons why CCP would need access to your account: you’ve been reported as an isk buyer, or you’ve send a petition requesting your username/password because you can’t remember them (done that before).

Following the above rules for your eve online accounts will ensure that you never have to suffer the embarrassment of having all your isk, ships and items stolen. And the same could be said for all your usernames and passwords. After all, many of us keep our usernames and passwords to financial institutions and credit card companies secret, even from our partners, so why not do the same with our Eve Online username and passwords?

Until next time

Lord Yu

Dominion Trailer

As we speak, Dominion, the latest expansion for Eve Online, is being deployed on the live server, Tranquility. So while it’s being deployed, I’d thought I’d take a look at the trailer. And it is bloody awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDVEHE10nHc

Enjoy. I’ve watched it ay least half a dozen times already.

Until next time.

Lord Yu

A small note

Just a quick word of advice to those of you who ask questions about Sexvillia. L no longer play the game. I played it for a month to see what it was like, and it got boring very quickly. Ok yeah, you can aim to get all the models, scenes, toys outfits and anything else I forgot, but when it comes down ot it, you’re doing one thing and one thing only: getting the models to have sex with each other. At least in Eve, if I get bored with mission running, I can switch over to industry.

So from now on, any questions regarding Sexvilla will be deleted.

Until next time

Lord Yu

Rules for playing Eve

Eve can be harsh. Any loss you suffer is going to be big, even when you’re first starting out because you don’t make that much isk per hour. Also, some CEO’s, both alliance and corporation, really don’t give a stuff about your real life commitments. They don’t care that you’re 5 year old is home sick, get your backside in fleet and join the op or you’re out. The 0.0 alliance you’re in is at war with another 0.0 alliance, they need you, even though you have to leave for work in five minutes. This is why I came up with the following

1. Trust no one

I learned this one the hard way. I never been ripped off or scammed, but one player I trusted turned out to be an isk buyer, probably even worse than isk sellers as buyers keep the sellers in business. So from that point on, I don’t trust anyone, even though they may have saved my shiny T2 ship from being ganked.

2. Don’t be a slave

Games weren’t designed so that people became slaves. They were designed so people could enjoy themselves. If the CEO or directors of the corp you’re in throws a temper tantrum because you can’t play 23/7 and you can’t join the “mandatory” mining/fleet op, find a new corp.

3. Real life comes first

I don’t think I need to explain this one. But if you’re putting Eve ahead of family, friends, hell even sleeping and eating, then it’s time to see a psychiatrist.

4. Time to take a break?

If you find yourself getting bored with anything you do in Eve, it might be time to take a break. I’ve taken several, both forced due to real life and voluntary because I was getting bored. What makes taking a break even better is whwn you have long skills to train, say a skill that might take 3-4 weeks to train from level 4 to level 5. Just make sure you keep the account active as CCP has removed ghost training, which is a shame really, but it’s a way for them to make money off “inactive” accounts.

If neither of the above work for you, then it might be time to leave Eve forever. Players you’ve flown alongside for a long time will be disappointed to see you go, but there’s always email and a myriad of other ways to keep in touch with ex corpmates and allies.

Until next time

Lord Yu

For crying out loud, SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!

I’ve probably written about this before. Forgive me if I have, but the topic has come up again.

There are players on the Eve forum whinging about how people aren’t playing the game the way they want them to. These people are usually low sec pirates who can’t enter empire because of their low security status, and have no targets because high sec empire dwellers don’t want to enter low sec to have their ships ganked by a bunch of players.

Because that’s all low sec pirates are: gankers looking for an easy kill. They’re just as risk averse as high sec dwellers. Yet every week or so there are idiots on the forum complaining about how other Eve players don’t play the game their way.

Well guess what? Eve was designed so you can do what you want do. Want to mine and build ships and modules? Go for it. Want to roam low sec looking for pvp? You can do that too. Hell, you can do both if you have the skills for it. The corp I’m in right now allows me to do what I want, but if another corp/alliance declares war on us, then I’m expected to help out. Which I don’t mind doing. Yes, I’m going to lose ships in any war, it’s a given and expected.

So stop whinging and whining that players aren’t playing it YOUR way. As the little guy with the funny hair once said “Your way is not the only way”.

Until next time

Lord Yu

How to avoid Eve Online getting boring

I’ve just come back from a 4 month break from Eve. Granted, it was a forced break, but having come back to Eve after that break, I’m refreshed and I’m ready to get back to manufacturing and mining. While I was waiting for my hulk’s mining lasers to finish their cycle, I was wondering to myself “How do I not get bored with this game?” And here’s what I came up with

1. Don’t play Eve 23/7

Eve is like a toy. You play with it all the time, you’re going to get bored. Break up your game time. A coupke of hours here, a couple of hours there. My mining can take up to 2 hours a session to complete, and at the moment, I’m playing 4 hours a day. Granted, it’s going to take longer to mine the minerals for a drake, but I’m not going to get bored with Eve any time soon.

2. Try something new

So you’re bored with mining and manufacturing. Or you’ve got all the skills you need for mining and manufacturing. Go out and try something new. Run missions. Find an experienced PvP corp, buy and equip a frigate and go hunting with your new corp. Because you can mine minerals and build your own ships, PvP isn’t going to be as expensive. And you might find your new corp mates come to you for their ships. Just be sure to give them a generous discount. After all, they’re helping you, so it’s only fair that you give them their due. Or if you’re really game, move to 0.0. Just because you’re new to PvP doesn’t mean you can’t survive in 0.0. A lot of pure industrialists in Eve can at least fly interceptors. There is no need to get into a bigger ship, unless you find PvP more fun than you first thought.

3. If all else fails…

Failing the above 2, all I can suggest is take a break. Keep your accounts active if you can so you can keep training skills. Your corp mates will understand that you are getting bored and need to take a break. Even players that have been playing since beta have, at some time or another, taken a break and come back. Just be sure to let your corpmates know you’re taking a break. If you’re living in 0.0, having all your ships and equipment moved to empire. You never know when a major war will break out and if you’re on hiatus, you could find yourself trapped, especially if the station you’re docked in is conquerable.

So there you go, my tips for not getting bored with Eve. If you find the above tips don’t cure your Eve boredom, then it’s time to say goodbye to Eve and move on. No one is going to fault you for it. There are other games out there you can try. Just not World of Warcraft, please

Until next time

Lord Yu

Major Races of Stargate: SG-1

I got curious one day and did a search to see if anyone had done anything on the major races of SG-1. I came with nothing. While SG-1 and other teams have explored many worlds, there are only 7 that are commonly seen in SG-1.

1. The Tau’ri

The Tau’ri are the people of Earth. While not technologically superior to any of the other races, SGC teams manage to beat back any threat to Earth, including the Goa’uld. SG-1 manages to beat back any invasions of or attempts to destroy Earth on 2 occasions, and combined SGC forces beat back 1 attempt by Anubis to invade.

2. The Goa’uld

The Goa’uld are snake-like parasites who invade a sentient host and take control of the host body. 2 species are known to have been host to the Goa’uld: the Unas and the Tau’ri. They also believe they are gods and should be worshipped by those they have enslaved.

It is believed that the Goa’uld are also parasites of technology, although on several occasions we see technology that may have been invented by the Goa’uld themselves: the personal shield and the personal cloaking device. Apophis also manages to cloak an entire fleet in one episode. What is known is that the Goa’uld did not invent the stargate, as is seen when SG-1 visit a planet not charted on the Abydos cartouche found in the pilot episode.

3. The Tollan

The Tollan first enter SG-1 when they are rescued from their planet, which is in cataclysm. Unfortunately, the Tollan are not willing to help the SGC develop weapons that will help defend Earth from Goa’uld attack. They are concerned that the United States would use any advanved weapon technology to threaten or attack neighbouring countries

The Tollan are attacked by the Goa’uld when SG-1 help thwart a Goa’uld plan to send weapons of mass destruction through Earth’s stargate by bypassing the iris using Tollan phase shifting technology, the same technology used in a previous episode when it appears the Tollan refugees walk through the walls of the base. They are not seen again in the SG-1 series, and are presumed to be wiped out by the Goa’uld.

4. The Asgard

The Asgard are short, grey-skinned aliens, much like those described in alien abduction stories. The Asgard are enemies of the Goa’uld, and also become allies of Earth. Again, while not willing to share weapons technology, they do help in the form of adding Asgard shields to Earth’s first space battlecruiser in return for saving their home planet from the Replicators.  True allies of Earth and its people, the Asgard both give and receive help from SG-1 in several episodes, finally honouring Earth and it’s people by pronouncing them to the Fifth Race shortly before committing genocide.

5. The Tok’ra

The Tok’ra are a group of Goa’uld who do not believe that hosts should taken by force, rather that the host should choose whether or not to share his or her existence with them. The host can take control at any time he or she wishes, and may also relinquish control to the Goa’uld as he or she wishes. It is more of a symbiotic relationship, rather than the parasitic relationship of the typical Goa’uld. The Tok’ra operate within the ranks of the Goa’uld covertly, and would rather die than give up any information of the current whereabouts of Tok’ra bases and outposts.

While an alliance of sorts does exist between Earth and the Tok’ra, it seems the Tok’ra gain more benefit from the alliance than the SGC. This leads to strain relations and eventually, the end of the Earth/Tok’ra alliance. It is unknown as to whether the Tok’rs and Earth re-establish this alliance.

6. The Jaffa

The Jaffa are the soldiers of the Goa’uld. They also carry infant Goa’uld within pouches, much like a kangaroo does with a joey. In return, the Jaffa receives a longer life than the usual human life span, and superhuman strength. Some believe that the Jaffa have been enslaved by the Goa’uld using this method, but those that believe this are few and far between. It is only when Teal’c rebels against Apophis and helps to free SG-1 that other also start believing, although it takes some time for the movement to gain momentum and for a Jaffa uprising to overthrow the Goa’uld once and for all.

7. Replicators

Replicators are machines with the ability to recreate more of themselves. They recreate by finding and assimilating technology into their own. While not instantly hostile, any hostile act made toward a replicator is met with hostile force. A single replicator can turn into thousands in mere hours if materials to do so are available, usually metal such as the hulls of space ships. Many Replicators can link and form as one to perform various tasks, such as increasing the power to a ship’s warp drive and engines. Each replicator is made of tiny blocks, each block being linked through subspace. Replicators can reform if destroyed, however, if the subspace link between the blocks is disrupted, the blocks are rendered inert and cannot reform. It is worth noting that two blocks cannot form a single replicator.

It worth noting that I am no expert on the races of SG-1. What I have written here is merely from what I have observed throughout the ten series of SG-1. If there is anything that needs correcting or any information I have omitted, please feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time

Lord Yu

I told you…

Guess what?

Remember when I said I was quitting Eve? And remember when I said that every time I quit Eve I get back into it?

Yep. I’m getting back into it

I had a chat with one of the members of an alliance that was causing problems in the area in which I mine (yes, I’m being ambiguous, I don’t want every one knowing my stomping ground in Eve). Apparently, they’ve changed politics and are no longer running people out of the area. I’m going to re-activate at least one of my accounts and hang around in the area for a while, just to see what happens. If worst comes to worst, I can always evacuate.

Hopefully though, I won’t have to leave. It’s a good mining area, not a lot of people and plenty of minerals. If I get my skills high enough, I might even make a bid to get into a 0.0 alliance and help them out logistically. But that’s a long way off yet, as I still have plans to make it in empire space.

Anyway, my miner and hauler accounts should be re-acivated by the middle of next week, If not, there’s always my combat character I can play around with.

Until next time

Lord Yu

Edit: What I find somewhat amusing is the fact that I’m seeing ads for Eve Online everywhere. I play Sims 3 for a bit of relaxation and time-out from my normal, hectic combat style games and I had to look up a careers guide. Guess what, there was an ad for Eve Online on a sims 3 wiki site.  It seems that someone (or something) is telling me the time is right to get back into it. Now, if I just had the money to re-activate my accounts….

Not playing Eve

Ok, I’ve said this before, I know I have.

I’m quitting Eve. Maybe.

The reason I say “maybe” is because every time I quit, I end up coming back to the blasted thing.

But the reason this time is not because I can’t afford it (well, I REALLY can’t afford it at the moment), but because I’ve gotten into X3: Terran Conflict in a big way.

How big, I hear you ask?

I’m doing things in X3:Terran Conflict that would take me months, or even years, to do in Eve. I’m buying my own stations and setting them up, ready to produce goods I can sell to make money. I’ll be flying capital class ships that would take years to acquire in Eve. Eventually, when I complete the required missions, I’ll be able to reverse engineer ships and build them myself at my player headquarters, something that would usually require me to be either in a corporation or big 0.0 alliance. I’ll be setting up my own stations very soon, and those stations will produce goods I can sell to other stations that will feed my fleets’ needs for weapons and equipment.

So, as it stands, I won’t be returning. I’ll leave my accounts inactive, just in case I do return.

Until next time

Lord Yu