Eve University Best Practices

Nothing in the following section shall be taken as being part of the WSOPs. These are practices which are strongly recommended and should be taken as consistent with the spirit and letter of the WSOPs.

You should fit...

...your ship for PvP

This depends greatly on the ship and what you plan to do, but usually means no Mining lasers, cargo expanders or exploration (Codebreaker, Analyser, etc) modules, along with a Buffer tank where appropriate. For relevant fittings, see the forum.^[1]

...your guns and launchers efficiently

This means using faction ammo where you can^[2]. Remember you don't need to fill your cargo, no matter what the ammo - you need only take one or two reloads on most fleets.

...a Tech 2 tank on BattleCruisers and Battleships

This means your tanking modules are mainly Tech 2, such as Hardeners, Extenders, and so on.^[3]

...your ship for its role

This should go without saying, but it means the modules on your ship should not typically cost massively more than the value of the hull. Tackle frigates are fit cheaply and disposably^[4], and module cost scales with the cost of the hull^[5].

...appropriate rigs

Tech 1 Rigs on Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers are optional.
Tech 1 Rigs on BattleCruisers and Battleships are required.^[6]
Rigs on all T2 ships are strongly suggested.^[7]

You should always...

...check the Local channel for War-Targets

Check it before you undock, and keep checking it whenever you are in space. Hostiles may appear at any moment.^[8]

...dock up if there are War-Targets

If not in a combat fleet^[9] and you see a War-Target in space or the local channel, then dock immediately, no waiting.

...avoid Trade Hubs when travelling

You should avoid Trade hubs when travelling^[10], and go around them when you can. Remember, you can use Trade skills for station trading remotely without having to be docked in the station.

You should never...

...use the Autopilot to fly your ship

Apart from using it to plot a course and highlight gates, it must never be used to actually fly your ship. All manoeuvres^[11] must be done manually.^[12]

...go AFK in space

Never leave your ship unattended for long periods when in space^[13]. Always dock up if you have to leave. If you are a scout or picket and need to take a short break, warp to a safe-spot and cloak up until you get back.

You can...

This is a list of activities which you can do when the corporation is at DEFCON 1. These are merely suggestions.

If any activity conflicts with one of the requirements of the WSOPs, it cannot be done. If that activity can be done without violating the WSOPs, then it is permitted.

...travel around EVE

Travelling is defined as moving with no cargo (opposed to hauling) and should be done in a 'Fast Frigate'^[14], Shuttle or Starter Frigate^[15].

...set-up and spar at the E-UNI POS

Setting up overviews, practising scanning and sparring^[16] should be done at the POS, as it will engage any hostile targets on grid with you^[17].

...run fleets in LoSec and NullSec

Just because there are no war targets around doesn't mean there is nobody to fight. Take a fleet out to losec or nullsec, and see what you find^[18]. Remember to follow the normal E-UNI Rules of Engagement.

...run Wormhole Operations

You may run combat sites in wormholes during wartime^[19]. All the other guidelines still apply however, so fleets should be combat fitted and have at least two E-UNI members. A cloaked scout (either covert ops or picket) should stay at the exit to known-space^[20].

If you have a significant sized fleet (eight or more members), a salvage Destroyer, BattleCruiser or Noctis may be used in wormhole fleets, complete with Salvaging Rigs^[21]. These ships MUST fit a cloaking device and full tank, and sit cloaked at a safe spot until time to salvage and then be guarded while salvaging.

...run Incursions with an E-UNI fleet

Incursions are allowed, but fleets must only be comprised of E-UNI members^[22]. Joining a public Incursion fleet is therefore prohibited in wartime, as it risks our status with the Incursion fleet organizers, and failure to follow this will likely see you Departed^[23].

...run Security missions

As these tend to involve high-value ships, so you should ensure you are some distance away from HQ in either a quiet (or very busy) system. You may run missions solo, but is strongly advised that you mission in a fleet of at least three students. Remember that Faction ships and Modules are still prohibited.

...mine in a group

This is best done with four or more members, with at least one of them in a combat-fitted ship - remember that mining ships are prohibited. Ideally, all mining should be done in an exploration pocket located in a quiet system or wormhole as far away from HQ and known operating areas of any war-targets as possible. Ensure that all fleet members keep a lookout in local for any hostiles, and nobody goes AFK without docking first. Don't forget to use an out of corp hauler to pick up any minerals.

...station trade

Remember that moving cargo (items not for your current ship) is a bad idea while using an E-UNI character, and the Daytrading, Marketing and Procurement skills allow you to trade remotely. 'Shopping trips' (i.e. hauling items you bought) are still a bad idea, and mustn't be done in an industrial.

...use an out of corp character

You can use an out-of-corp character or alt for Missions, Mining and Hauling alone. Many missions may be accepted on your E-UNI character but performed with an alt.

...leave E-UNI until the war ends

If you want to, you may leave the Uni until the war ends without any penalties. You will retain access to the vast majority of forum content, channels, classes, the Wiki and even Mumble, and will be fast-tracked through recruitment when returning.

Practice and Patrols

All EVE University members are encouraged to practice the SOP during wars, even when there are no war-targets immediately available.

This can include (but is not limited to) sparring in space, patrolling high-traffic areas for other E-UNI members, as well as practising fleet command and movement skills.

Why?

For new players, its not immediately obvious why the rules are as they are. Below are answers to some of the more common questions.

^ Hopefully this should be fairly self evident after playing a little EVE, but PvP fits tend to focus on 'buffer' tanks and are significantly different to PvE fits which focus on repairing over time.
^ The extra damage is usually worth the money, but if you cant afford it, thats ok.
^ There are some exceptions to this where the Meta 4 module has better statistics, and is cheaper or easier to fit, but in all cases you must still have the skills to fit the modules individually.
^ Use Meta 0, 1 or 2 modules where you can as they are very cheap.
^ The bigger the ship, the less likely it is to die quickly in a fight, therefore it is worth fitting it well.
^ These ships abilities are greatly improved by fitting appropriate rigs.
^ For the extra ISK involved in the hull, it would be silly not to.
^ The Local channel is the best tool any player has as to what is going on, and during war it should be made as tall as possible so you can see as many people as possible without scrolling.
^ Hopefully that should go without saying, but if you are in a combat fleet you should be killing them.
^ These are prime hunting grounds for most wartargets, and will often have hostiles or their alts present.
^ This includes setting the next system as a waypoint, and enabling autopilot while in warp, as it leaves a crucial few seconds before jumping.
^ The Autopilot is dangerous even in peacetime as it drops you around 15km from the gate, meaning that you need to either align and enter warp to escape or burn those 15km to the stargate to jump through. Not to mention that Autopilot promotes being AFK.
^ Being AFK, for an extended time, even cloaked at a safe-spot or sitting at the POS, simply isn't worth the risk.
^ These are small, fast and can typically get through a camped gate if you encounter any hostiles. On top of this, they are also cheap, and will not typically make a significant ISK dent on the killboard.
^ Travelling in a Capsule, while possible, is generally a bad idea as they are so fragile. If flying a shuttle at least, you can survive at least one volley.
^ This does not have to be inside the shield, but for safety reasons you should stay within 50km of the tower where possible.
^ It will tend to take a few seconds for the POS to lock and kill a wartarget, so you should still be careful
^ This is a good way to practice, and there is usually someone to shoot and practice with, and you may run into wartargets.
^ Wormhole combat sites require fits very close to normal PvP, and are a good way to practice fleet command.
^ This is simply to watch for any one entering the system, to give you advance warning.
^ With appropriate precautions and support, they can be kept relatively safe
^ Anyone assisting will flag themselves to the hostiles
^ The membership has worked hard to build trust with these groups, so if you risk this, you will be treated as a hostile target.

Requests for Clarification

All requests for clarification must be made directly to the Directors. If in doubt, avoid the element which is unclear until clarified.

User:Diane yanumano/wsop BestPractices draft