Burning and Earning

I've been doing a lot of level 3 missions with the Myrmidon, generating a pretty decent income. Mainly right now I'm waiting until my second major skill training, Hull Upgrades V, finishes in a little more than ten days and I can then install Tech 2 Armor Hardeners. I've already bought the hardeners, but I have to finish training the skill before I can install them.

I'm also still in that warm, cozy, newly-returned-player mode, just enjoying being back in the game and still rediscovering things I love about it.

One thing I've been avoiding doing since coming back is becoming as active a participant on the official EO forums as I used to be. I've put up a post promoting this blog and I've jumped in on a few conversations here and there, but after such a negative experience with those forums a couple of years ago, I've decided that I'm going to be a lot more cautious about posting there this time around. The nutshell version is that I'm back in EvE to relax and have fun, and I've found that that's not always possible when I involve myself too much over there.

I'm now in a place in-game where I'm almost back to where I was before I left, except in terms of actual stuff owned and ISK in my wallet. I'm doing the same kinds of missions I was doing then, with the same kind of ship, but with a much better fit than I was using back then.

I know it's getting close to the time where I'm going to have to start making some decisions about what direction I want to go in this game. I'm giving myself the ten days plus it'll take for that skill to finish training to think about it before making any decisions, maybe even a little longer if I decide I need it.

That said, I also know I don't just want to endlessly run missions as a solo player. In order to really enjoy this game to its fullest (in my opinion, at least), it must be played with other people. I will join a player-run corp again soon. I already have several good options, and I'm open to more.

Yet, despite all that, I'm still having a pretty good time right now just roaming the spaceways in search of fun and profit. It's not a long-term career plan, but it'll work well enough for a couple more weeks. Then, it'll become time to seriously start finding myself a new career in this game.

Riding The Rails

So I've installed five 200mm Scout I Accelerator Cannons on the Thorax but I can only keep four online at once unless I want to unfit or turn off components I don't want to do without. I've got a fit I'm not entirely thrilled with but that I think will allow me to do far more damage from a distance than I have been. The blasters are lethal from short range but virtually useless from a distance. Closing to a useful blaster range on a mission like this one just isn't a really great idea, especially not when I'm using drones.

Of course, right now, this is all theory, albeit theory based on experience (and a hell of a lot of destroyed ships a couple of years ago). Last night it was late so I bought the guns, went to get them, installed them, flew back to the system where the mission I'm working on is, docked, and logged out. The rails will get their first test a little later today when I log in. I strongly suspect that four railguns will do in this mission and others like it what five blasters can't.