Happy Trails...

...to, um, me, I guess.

I've spent my last several hours in-game buying and collecting stuff in preparation for my upcoming Agony Unleashed Basic PvP class. It's actually taken less time than I expected it would, though I'm by no means finished yet. I've also been reading through the course materials, which I have to say are more than worth the cost of tuition alone. As a writer myself, I respect copyrights, so I won't go into specifics here, but I will say that in the course of reading through it I've had several "Aha!" moments, times where something I really didn't get previously suddenly became clear in light of the explanation I'd just read...and that's not counting all the times I've just learned something so completely new to me that I didn't know enough to know I needed to know it in the first place. Even with all the setup costs in terms of ISK and in-game time, and not having even done the actual class yet, I'm already convinced that in terms of value versus price, this class and the materials that come with it would still be a bargain at twice the price.

Right now, I'm back in Gallente space, picking up my Maulus and a few mods that were a bit overpriced in Caldari space. Once I've done that, I'll be essentially done with my class prep with the exception of buying weaponry and ammo, actually fitting the ships, and bumping up a few skills I think might be useful...I've already trained up everything required for the course I didn't already have to the necessary skill levels, but it never hurts to add a bit. In addition, there are more than a few recommended, though apparently not required, skills in the course materials, so I'm also looking into training at least some of those before class as well. There are also a few things that will be best done if I can refer to the class materials in-game as I do them. Since AU's website isn't viewable in the in-game browser, I'm going to print out copies of the materials so I can sit there with the information at my fingertips as I make the necessary tweaks. Probably the very last thing I'll do in preparation for this class is move my clone to where the class is being held to facilitate quick and easy recovery if (read: when) I get podded during the class.

What I've really found most surprising about this process is how relatively inexpensive it's proven. I've gotten almost all of it done for around a million ISK, not counting the actual tuition. With a little common sense (i.e. not buying mods at 2-3 times their actual value unless absolutely necessary), it's been quite easy to keep costs down. The biggest expense here really has been the in-game time to get it all done, and that's a price I'm happy to pay right now.

In fact, I really am enjoying the break from mission running, seeing areas of Empire space I hadn't made it to before now, and even buying and flying my very first Caldari ships. Yeah, ok, shuttles aren't exactly the height of piloting excitement as they aren't even armed, but it's still been fun to fly something not only new, but non-Gallente for a change. I took one of my shuttles on the 20-jump trek back to Gallente space to pick up my Maulus since I want my fully-fitted dessie available in Caldari space, just in case I need it...ya never know when it'll come in handy. Chances are, I'll be making at least a few more trips in and out of Caldari space between now and class day, so having a ship that can handle at least minor PvP in the area that I'm not reserving for class can't hurt. I've been doing this with the expectation that everything I'm investing in this class...ships, mods, basically everything except the skills I'm training for it...won't survive the experience. That's just fine...I've already written it off as part of the tuition.

Just as in a RL university, a lot of the actual learning is done before the class ever takes place...and I don't think I've ever had so much fun doing my homework.