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Above are pictured three basic formations. As mentioned before, the 7 probe Diamond formation was extremely popular before the Odyssey expansion, | Above are pictured three basic formations. As mentioned before, the 7 probe Diamond formation was extremely popular before the Odyssey expansion, particularly since it took less time to launch 7 probes over 8, and most of the time the 8th probe didn't help much. The 8th probe, if used, is placed offset from the middle one. The cube formation is highly recommended to save as a formation. (Also that was when the only way to find out if any signatures were in the system at all was to scan for them first with a spread formation or a Deep Space Scanner Probe.) | ||
Other formations include blanket formations (used for stealthy combat probing stuff), the Dual Triangle Formation (too difficult to make for the value, especially compared to the cube formation) and specialized combat probe formations meant for specific systems so that the probes are positioned in a specific way to cover the whole system without actually having a probe show upon the directional scanner. That's about all I know about formations: pro scanners are usually very tight-lipped about their secrets. Even I have to refrain from too much elaboration on the technique of scanning a ship down with just one scan run. That technique has gotten a little bit easier with the new directional scanner cone feature of the new probe scanner, but the old-fashioned way does work faster because the old probe scanner interface is easier to use when combat probing, particularly under heavy pressure. It can also be more accurate, but that is mostly a factor of distance. (Gee that was cryptic enough) | Other formations include blanket formations (used for stealthy combat probing stuff), the Dual Triangle Formation (too difficult to make for the value, especially compared to the cube formation) and specialized combat probe formations meant for specific systems so that the probes are positioned in a specific way to cover the whole system without actually having a probe show upon the directional scanner. That's about all I know about formations: pro scanners are usually very tight-lipped about their secrets. Even I have to refrain from too much elaboration on the technique of scanning a ship down with just one scan run. That technique has gotten a little bit easier with the new directional scanner cone feature of the new probe scanner, but the old-fashioned way does work faster because the old probe scanner interface is easier to use when combat probing, particularly under heavy pressure. It can also be more accurate, but that is mostly a factor of distance. (Gee that was cryptic enough) | ||
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{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;" | {| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;" | ||
|[[File:3P38_Supplement_34.png|thumb|none|alt=A|Finding drones in useful safe spots]]||[[File:3P38_Supplement_59.png|thumb|upright=0. | |[[File:3P38_Supplement_34.png|thumb|none|alt=A|Finding drones in useful safe spots]]||[[File:3P38_Supplement_59.png|thumb|upright=0.7|none|alt=A|Happiness comes in green]]||[[File:3P38_Supplement_62.jpg|thumb|none|alt=A|Hauls like this gets me hooked]]|| | ||
|} | |} | ||
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Most folk like to sit very close to the middle of the gas cloud, near the icon of it. This makes the cloaked ships who must creep very close to your ship have to work harder (the gas cloud's object size changes as the gas is mined, apparently) to do their business. Corpses can also work to orbit at, as they are not the same thing as a jetcan, which can be directly warped to. | Most folk like to sit very close to the middle of the gas cloud, near the icon of it. This makes the cloaked ships who must creep very close to your ship have to work harder (the gas cloud's object size changes as the gas is mined, apparently) to do their business. Corpses can also work to orbit at, as they are not the same thing as a jetcan, which can be directly warped to. | ||
The site itself has a timer that counts down from the moment an uncloaked ship initiates a warp to the site OR if a ship fitted with a covert operations cloak decloaks inside the site. By default, this timer is fifteen minutes until the Sleepers show up, or could show up. Every minute thereafter has an increased chance of spawning the Sleeper NPCs. Some good wormhole groups like to clear out the Sleepers because | The site itself has a timer that counts down from the moment an uncloaked ship initiates a warp to the site OR if a ship fitted with a covert operations cloak decloaks inside the site. By default, this timer is fifteen minutes until the Sleepers show up, or could show up. Every minute thereafter has an increased chance of spawning the Sleeper NPCs. Some good wormhole groups like to clear out the Sleepers because some good blue too can drop from them: alternately, use a sniping beam laser Oracle to clear them out. You will need logistics cruisers and respectable DPS ships to clear out the site's battleships if you use conventional PvE or PvP fit vessels. | ||
Ninja mining consists of watching directional scanner persistently until the fifteen minute timer is up, then the FC primes himself by holding open the menu to warp the fleet to either the next site, a safe spot, a tactical on the wormhole, or the wormhole itself so that the very second the Sleeper NPCs spawn, he initiates the warp. This is a good deal because more of the gas is effectively harvested, which means more players are able to profit from the endeavor, and more eyes are available to watch the directional scanner. | |||
The other strategies involve coming back to clear the rats out, and continue the harvesting, or to tank them with a specialized fit [http://gramek.blogspot.com/2014/12/ninja-huffing-as-its-best.html like this one]. Neither are for the unprepared and requires capable pilots. | The other strategies involve coming back to clear the rats out, and continue the harvesting, or to tank them with a specialized fit [http://gramek.blogspot.com/2014/12/ninja-huffing-as-its-best.html like this one]. Neither are for the unprepared and requires capable pilots. | ||
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First, Combat Anomalies are known as "green sites" because when the Probe Scanner window is pulled up, and Combat Anomalies are enabled, they are warpable directly, without the need to scan them down, by any ship. When these sites are run, there is a chance for the site to "escalate", which means that it can either start a short mini-arc (storyline) which entails running to a handful of systems, warping to a site in those systems, shooting some NPCs, and continuing on. Or it can escalate to a higher grade site, which is nice because it is your own personal site, and nobody else has it, neither can they enter unless they combat probe something or someone inside that said site. Escalations are basically like "Part 2" of the site you may have just ran: and certain escalations can be sold to other players. Apparently 50-75% of the going price of the Overseer's Personal Effects of that site is usually considered acceptable starting pricing. Some escalations into dangerous space (such as sovereign nullsec from a high sec green site, as I've had) are best abandoned or sold to the locals. Trust and not getting blown up enroute or back out make for some interesting moments for sure. You definitely don't want an escalation into a key battleground system, such as HED-GP unless you live there. | First, Combat Anomalies are known as "green sites" because when the Probe Scanner window is pulled up, and Combat Anomalies are enabled, they are warpable directly, without the need to scan them down, by any ship. When these sites are run, there is a chance for the site to "escalate", which means that it can either start a short mini-arc (storyline) which entails running to a handful of systems, warping to a site in those systems, shooting some NPCs, and continuing on. Or it can escalate to a higher grade site, which is nice because it is your own personal site, and nobody else has it, neither can they enter unless they combat probe something or someone inside that said site. Escalations are basically like "Part 2" of the site you may have just ran: and certain escalations can be sold to other players. Apparently 50-75% of the going price of the Overseer's Personal Effects of that site is usually considered acceptable starting pricing. Some escalations into dangerous space (such as sovereign nullsec from a high sec green site, as I've had) are best abandoned or sold to the locals. Trust and not getting blown up enroute or back out make for some interesting moments for sure. You definitely don't want an escalation into a key battleground system, such as HED-GP unless you live there. | ||
Typically, a large number of green sites have to be ran for an escalation, which makes them not only boring, but uninteresting for a number of people. Aside from the escalation chance itself, and the chance of a faction NPC spawn (which can drop faction modules, such as Dread Guristas Thermal Dissipation Field), there's not much to them. Green sites get better as the lower the system security status becomes: the best are in sovereign nullsec and wormhole space. Sovereign nullsec is great for running the sites, and a suitable pilot can make good money from the bounties running those sites -- and snatching any cool faction modules from those said sites. Within the classification of green sites and all their variants, some sites are better to run than others in the same system. | Typically, a large number of green sites have to be ran for an escalation, which makes them not only boring, but uninteresting for a number of people, but huge amounts of ISK are made every day from anamoly ratting in sov null. Aside from the escalation chance itself, and the chance of a faction NPC spawn (which can drop faction modules, such as Dread Guristas Thermal Dissipation Field), there's not much to them. Green sites get better as the lower the system security status becomes: the best are in sovereign nullsec and wormhole space. Sovereign nullsec is great for running the sites, and a suitable pilot can make good money from the bounties running those sites -- and snatching any cool faction modules from those said sites. Within the classification of green sites and all their variants, some sites are better to run than others in the same system. | ||
In wormhole space, green sites, as all combat sites in wormhole space, have Sleeper NPCs which are nicely souped-up versions of the kind you see in regular Known Space. In higher classes of wormholes they are no joke and are not to be trifled with in inappropriate ships and inexperienced pilots. Sleeper NPCs can drop "blue loot" which is sold to NPC buy orders in Known Space, and the wrecks themselves can (and usually are) salvaged for additional profit. | In wormhole space, green sites, as all combat sites in wormhole space, have Sleeper NPCs which are nicely souped-up versions of the kind you see in regular Known Space. In higher classes of wormholes they are no joke and are not to be trifled with in inappropriate ships and inexperienced pilots. Sleeper NPCs can drop "blue loot" which is sold to NPC buy orders in Known Space, and the wrecks themselves can (and usually are) salvaged for additional profit. Run a Google search for "Rykki's Guides" for site profiles: it does get updated from time to time, which is nice.. | ||
Now for Cosmic Signatures. Combat sites classified under Cosmic Signatures are sometimes nice because they can shortcut around the raw boredum of green site escalation hunting. As Player versus Environment (PvE) sooner or later turns into a question of efficiency and speed, experience and a good overall setup with the right ship and fit comes in handy, as does knowing the site itself. Googling the site name itself can usually pull up a nice profile of the site which allows a player to evaluate the hazards and proceed as needed. | Now for Cosmic Signatures. Combat sites classified under Cosmic Signatures are sometimes nice because they can shortcut around the raw boredum of green site escalation hunting. As Player versus Environment (PvE) sooner or later turns into a question of efficiency and speed, experience and a good overall setup with the right ship and fit comes in handy, as does knowing the site itself. Googling the site name itself can usually pull up a nice profile of the site which allows a player to evaluate the hazards and proceed as needed. | ||
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* There are only 3 containers | * There are only 3 containers | ||
* There are two High-Security Containers and one Research and Development Laboratories containers | * There are two High-Security Containers and one Research and Development Laboratories containers (the High-Security containers are blue-green hacks, the R&D cans are usually red hacks) | ||
* Failure of any one container can spawn rats. They don't hurt much, and can be handled in a few minutes even with just a single small pulse laser (ideal) on a covert ops frigate. The rats must be removed before any of the containers can be accessed, even if they've be hacked already | * Failure of any one container can spawn rats. They don't hurt much, and can be handled in a few minutes even with just a single small pulse laser (ideal) on a covert ops frigate. The rats must be removed before any of the containers can be accessed, even if they've be hacked already | ||
* Generally, the good stuff is found in the R&D Lab container. See below what constitutes "good stuff" | * Generally, the good stuff is found in the R&D Lab container. See below what constitutes "good stuff" | ||