Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 .. 13 :: one page |
|
Author |
Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 0 post(s) |
James 315
Yet Another CAOD-Inspired 1-Man Alt Corp
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:52:00 -
[1]
If you have made it this far, you are a remarkable individual (or you have clicked the wrong link). Since you are remarkable, you will be rewarded with another remarkable post to read. Don't worry, this part will be much shorter than the first one.
Why Is BoB Losing? Part II: Survival of the Faithless
There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. -- Charles Darwin
In our first exciting journey through the stuff I typed, we learned that BoB's formerly unbroken string of victories was due largely to the careful selection and timing of wars in which it engaged, and its heavy reliance upon allies or pets--not simply to the skill of its pilots. This is not inherently bad. One should give credit to good strategy. But it is an important point simply because the reality runs so contrary to the propaganda narrative of BoB in which they are only interested in "good fights".
Why the smokescreen? As we saw in Part I, if BoB were invincible due to the skill of its pilots, and if BoB fought and won difficult wars in its past, it would be an entity capable of destroying any opponent, strong or weak. This prevents potential opponents from seeking a war with BoB, thus allowing BoB to strike at its opponents one at a time, like a ninja in an old movie. It also keeps BoB's many pets firmly in line, because they are certain of BoB's eventual victory.
The illusion that BoB is only interested in good fights rather than easy wins also serves to disguise the true nature of the BoB pilots themselves. The character of the pilots--their attitudes, expectations, needs, personalities--are an important factor in war. This is because to kill an alliance it is crucial to kill the morale of its pilots. As observed by such noted CAOD posters as DigitalCommunist and James 315, Eve wars primarily revolve around the issue of morale, since pilots, corps and alliances can relocate rather than die. For example, despite the material damage inflicted upon Goonfleet in the summer of 2006 by BoB (and D2, and the rest), Goonfleet's morale was not destroyed. Nor was the LV Coalition able to destroy the morale of Red Alliance, despite reducing Red to one system. By contrast, alliances such as ASCN, LV and D2 were obliterated because their morale was crushed before they even lost all of their outposts.
This is where we see the "glue" discussion referenced by my British-accented friend. Goons came to Eve to be Goons, and Red Alliance was an alliance of Russians. Despite the challenges they faced, they could still have these things, or at least could not have them more so in another alliance. By contrast, an alliance such as ASCN or LV existed because corps simply wanted carebear access to 0.0 materials. Obviously once the heavy assaults on them took effect, they could get access to 0.0 materials more easily in other alliances, even as pets. So they bolted.
How do we determine BoB's bonding element, and what effect it has (and will have) on the Band of Brothers? We study its 'Evolution' by natural selection. Specifically, we study the means by which one selects BoB to join, or the means by which BoB selects people to admit.
(Proceed to section 2, faithfully.) **** |
Demented Fury
Jita Garbage Collection LTD
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:52:00 -
[2]
o snap first!
|
James 315
Yet Another CAOD-Inspired 1-Man Alt Corp
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:52:00 -
[3]
But first, a word of common sense regarding the BoB today and the Evolution corp that existed in 2003. Obviously the initial "core" that formed BoB had a different recruiting strategy and reputation than today's BoB. Today's BoB has a whole history behind it (mostly manufactured by its propaganda machine) that influences people to join or not. The reason why the BoB of today is more important than the BoB seeds of 2003 is that the lion's share of BoB's membership is comprised of recent additions, relatively speaking. For example, from the fall of ASCN to the fall of LV, BoB's membership increased by about 60%. Much of that was due to the vast import of Shinra, but certainly not all. These represent pilots who chose to join BoB due to its image of steamrolling ASCN. If you had the data, you could go back further, looking at the increase in BoB membership from its "triumph" against GoonSwarm, the Querious war, etc. And those numbers would only tell part of the story, since they would not show you the quantity of old BoB pilots who left and were replaced by new recruits.
It goes further still. When ATUK was incorporated into BoB as the DICE (Destructive Influence) corporation, it was largely seen as an attempt to join the one big remaining PvP powerhouse into BoB, creating an alliance with no real competitors remaining in Eve. But perhaps in part because of the motivation, DICE was not respected as "fully BoB". This is why even today, despite all of DICE's efforts to the contrary, DICE is sometimes referred to as "BoB Lite". (If DICE is "BoB Lite", does that make Shinra "BoB Free"?)
In a less concentrated but more pervasive scale than the DICE assimilation, there is the BoB policy of drafting PvP'ers from their targets. This ensures that even those skilled PvP'ers who remain in Eve will not recollect in other alliances to pose BoB future risk. Often these defections occur even while the war between BoB and its target still rages. For an alliance that claims to want only "good fights", we can see how BoB goes to great lengths to avoid fighting anyone--even individual pilots!--who could offer a good fight.
But what do these turncoat pilots get out of the deal? One answer might be "competent leadership, for a change." But it would be extremely dishonest to suggest that the only competent military leaders and FC's in all of Eve exist in BoB, even going back to 2005. What the traitor gains from joining BoB is that--assuming the invincibility of BoB is real, and they believe it is--they will never have to lose again. They choose not to fight the evil of BoB because they lack faith in the final victory. These are the people who join and now comprise the majority of BoB.
A simple comparison works wonders here. When a pilots chose to join Goonfleet, they knew they were in for a fight. Goonfleet was, for a long time, filled with suicidal PvP pilots who expected to die, and perhaps even embraced death. They were surrounded by enemies and hounded by the Invincible BoB. Only someone who wants to fight and endure under such conditions would join Goonfleet. A similar description could be written for those who chose to join Red Alliance. Has anyone ever joined Red Alliance expecting a cakewalk?
(Proceed to section 3, with a spring in your step.) **** |
James 315
Yet Another CAOD-Inspired 1-Man Alt Corp
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:53:00 -
[4]
Now consider those who chose to join Invincible BoB. They expect BoB will never lose because it cannot lose. They expect to participate in turkeyshoots, because many of their recruits have experienced these turkeyshoots from the other side. They expect to pop Goon shuttles from 200km and swallow former pets' stations without resistance. They expect no real difficulties, no defeats, no fights in which they could realistically lose. They want to be surrounded by pilots with fifty million skillpoints and endless resources that no enemy could even begin to compromise. Has anyone joined BoB recently expecting a challenge? The only challenge a new BoB pilot expects is to maintain a kill/death ratio of 20:1 instead of 15:1.
No, the original pilots of Evolution were not like this when they formed their corp. And there are still many of the original pilots around. But with each passing month, BoB becomes more and more watered-down by recruits who want and expect nothing but victories, and who dread anything less.
Some will say that I am biased or that I am an alt. I am not an alt. It is true that I am in an "Alt Corp". Why can't a main be in an alt corp? Don't you know alts that are in regular corps? Besides, I am not simply a member of YACAODI1MAC, I am its founder and CEO. Who better to lead an alt corp than a main? Alts are always controlled by mains; that is the way of things.
As for my bias, I do not accept that I am biased. But if you believe I am, consider what BoB members say themselves. Far from the prying eyes of the unified front propaganda machine, BoB members will tell you (the older the better) that they are dissatisfied by the direction BoB has gone, particularly with the recruitment of so many players who do not meet their standards. They, too, are concerned by the number of people who have joined BoB so they can ride its coattails and be Omnipotence Itself. Ask them whether they think it was wonderful to have so many ex-Shinra join. Shinra's heroic defense of LV down to the last system is a great model for how BoB's nerve holds today.
The "unified front" propaganda policy also creates a situation where BoB pilots censor themselves, even on an internal BoB communication line. (This has become more severe now that BoB's massive recruitment has opened itself to infiltration by spies; admitting a defeat even to themselves would be a morale boost to the enemy.) The original leadership of BoB, still largely present from the old days (aside from notable departures like Blacklight's), does not understand how much their alliance has changed. BoB pilots are simultaneously frustrated by their leadership's failures (and this goes both ways) and yet awed and frightened into silence. Members of many alliances neglect to post their losses on killboards for fear of how they will be seen by the enemy, but BoB pilots avoid loss-posting, despite official mandates to post, because they are afraid of how their own leaders will see them. The killboard issue is outside the scope of this thread, but the lack of communication among BoB is worthy of a few more words.
(Proceed to section 4. Just proceed.) **** |
James 315
Yet Another CAOD-Inspired 1-Man Alt Corp
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:53:00 -
[5]
I usually try to keep my personal life and my "Eve life" separate, although the postmodernists among us will say that this is impossible. But in this instance, I think an example from my own life about the value of communication will be helpful. In my YACAODI1MAC report on the contract against Black Eclipse Corp, because it was relevant, I casually alluded to the fact that I have a girlfriend. She doesn't play Eve, probably fearing that whatever she accomplishes in Eve would be overshadowed by me, and I respect that. After I get home from work, I usually spend a relatively short time in Eve-related activities, such as changing skills or reading CAOD. And while I take my responsibilities in Eve seriously, I don't do this because of the demand; I do it because it is a pleasure for me and relieves stress.
Now I recall that on one of the first days back from work, after a particularly nasty commute, I came home and my girlfriend immediately wanted to bring up some concerns about some chores that I needed to do. I recall being irritated by this, even though the chores were necessary. I then realized that because of the stress of my job and the commute, I needed to unwind for a bit, recharge my batteries, and then I would be good to go. But from my girlfriend's perspective, I reasoned, she had been thinking about this stuff all day and immediately wanted to talk to me about it when she saw me. So I honestly communicated with her my need to decompress immediately after arriving home, and that she would help us both by remaining in suspense for awhile longer after I returned. Some couples go through an entire lifetime without making these realizations and communications, and fight frequently because of them. BoB is in danger of this happening to them also.
Another example of communication. My girlfriend and I had made plans to attend a function. While I wanted to go, or at least was not very much opposed to it, I lost track of time while spamming F5 on the Scrapheap Challenge thread tracking POS counts in 9-9. This was an isolated incident, but it sparked what became a fairly heated debate regarding the comparative importance of Eve and our relationship. The discussion was so animated that I lost nearly an hour of training time on a skill I was about to change. (Since I joined Eve I have lost significant portions of training time on about four occasions at most.)
I communicated that my girlfriend's arguments suffered from a number of fundamental flaws. First, the question of whether she or Eve is more important is irrelevant, since the two are not in conflict. Second, the question assumes an all-or-nothing approach that also ignores decreasing marginal utility. For example, on an absolute scale, food is more important than music, but would we force all the world's musicians to become farmers? Of course not. Likewise, terminating James 315 to spend more time with my girlfriend would be suboptimal. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it was a question of timing, not of priorities. She will be there the next day, but those BoB POSes might not be. (As it turned out, the BoB POSes did get popped.)
(Proceed to section 5, with growing concern for the length of the post.) **** |
UGWidowmaker
Caldari The Ankou The Reckoning.
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:54:00 -
[6]
second in an epic thread! omfg.... the wall of letters... OMFG
I am the widowmaker stay tuned.
|
James 315
Yet Another CAOD-Inspired 1-Man Alt Corp
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:54:00 -
[7]
Needless to say, I came out the winner in that argument. But because I understood the importance of communication, I realized the very fact that we were even having an argument based on something with so many logical faults was telling in and of itself. So I offered up an explanation (not a monologue, really, there was some give-and-take) as to the importance of 9-9. This was not merely another POS war or just another station system. 9-9 was pivotal both to Tenerifis and to the entire region of Omist. Not to mention the fact that BoB and the RSF were having a true test of wills/force over that station and it could turn out to be a bellwether for the state of the entire war. When the Goons and Reds began their logistical efforts there, it was a true "so much owed by so many to so few" moment. Had my girlfriend remained unaware of this, she may not have fully understood the importance of the BoB POS update. The mechanics of POS warfare are a bit obscure, but I think my lecture was accessible to a non-Eve player such as she.
One final word on communication, since I don't want this to turn into another long post. My girlfriend has owned a few cats in her life, and at the moment she has two. One of these cats, and all the others she has ever owned, have normal cat names like "Garfield", "Whiskers", etc. But for some reason she named one of the cats the name of a German dictator whose name won't pass the profanity filter on our fine forum. Why she named him that, I do not know. There is nothing H-like about this cat. Nor does she have a particularly active interest in history. And like most good-looking women, she does not tell a lot of jokes. (I am tired of all entertainment media presenting "love interests" as beautiful, smart and funny, even when these characters haven't made any witty remarks. My girlfriend has a fine sense of humor but is not a comedic genius.) So whenever I see this H-cat, I wonder what the deal is, and I don't find it particularly amusing to reference people like the cat's namesake. But rather than allow that to bother me, I keep in mind that because my girlfriend and I have developed such good communication, if I ever choose to bring it up, everything will be made clear. BoB's leadership will really have to turn things around if they want to be able to say the same.
In case it wasn't obvious enough, there is real danger in having pilots whose sole purpose and motivation is to win every time. Since BoB is not invincible, it must inevitably run into an opposing force that is superior. Then BoB will be tested in an entirely new way: can it endure defeat and come out stronger? BoB made a 100% effort to defend 9-9, and it failed. Then BoB made a 100% effort to attack 9-9, and it failed even more completely. Simply put, RSF is stronger than BoB and better at POS wars. Can continual, month-to-month defeats be withstood by victory-dependent BoB pilots, multitudes of them newly-added hangers-on who had no part in accomplishments of the past?
That sounds like the beginning of another topic.
End of Part II
So I failed miserably in making Part II shorter than Part I. But Part III won't be as long, I promise. If Part I was the ghost of BoB's past and Part II the ghost of BoB's present, then Part III will be the ghost of BoB Yet to Come. Stay tuned, and keep on smilin'.
- 315
----------------------------------------------- The views expressed in my posts are my own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of my corporation. |
Kaaii
Caldari Equilibrium LLC
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:56:00 -
[8]
Sooommmeeeooonneee didn't read my Guiiiide.....
"Id rather fall beside 10 Lions, than stand with 1000 sheep.."
Trading 101
|
Strategos
Banned Society
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 15:56:00 -
[9]
Another interesting read.
---Sig--- Sig removed, not appropriate for the forum. Please contact [email protected] for more info (including a copy of your picture!) -Pirlouit
|
Shadowsword
COLSUP Tau Ceti Federation
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:01:00 -
[10]
Much shorter indeed...
/me resume reading. ------------------------------------------
What is Oomph? It the sound Amarr players makes when they get kicked in the ribs. |
|
WraithFire
Cassandra's Light Dark Matter Coalition
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:02:00 -
[11]
Nice thread. ---------------------
Carebears? Where?
|
Flow Befort
GoonFleet GoonSwarm
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:02:00 -
[12]
we have uhoh, over
|
FishtheMoose
Counterglow Kancho Unlimited
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:03:00 -
[13]
Originally by: James 315 since I don't want this to turn into another long post.
|
Indomitus Rex
Amarr Sniggerdly Pandemic Legion
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:04:00 -
[14]
James 3:15 (New International Version) New International Version (NIV)
Copyright ¬ 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society [NIV at IBS] [International Bible Society] [NIV at Zondervan] [Zondervan]
15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
Maybe a warning?
Devil or not, yet another wonderful read. Sig removed. If you would like further details please mail [email protected] with a link to your signature. - Elmo Pug |
NeoTech
Minmatar DarkStar 1 GoonSwarm
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:05:00 -
[15]
Good read yet again.
fofofo |
cal nereus
Bounty Hunter - Dark Legion Curse Alliance
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:05:00 -
[16]
Originally by: James 315 This is where we see the "glue" discussion referenced by my British-accented friend. Goons came to Eve to be Goons, and Red Alliance was an alliance of Russians. Despite the challenges they faced, they could still have these things, or at least could not have them more so in another alliance. By contrast, an alliance such as ASCN or LV existed because corps simply wanted carebear access to 0.0 materials. Obviously once the heavy assaults on them took effect, they could get access to 0.0 materials more easily in other alliances, even as pets. So they bolted.
This part sounds pretty spot on if you ask me. ---
Grismar.net |
TrevorReznik
Merch Industrial We Are Nice Guys
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:06:00 -
[17]
You forgot something:
BoB recruits from its pet alliances as well. Many of their recent members came from such illustrious alliances as Dark Rising and Southern Connection. While this arguably makes BoB stronger through sheer numbers, it serves to further weaken their pet alliances, or destroys them.
|
Zap powie
Minmatar The Accursed
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:07:00 -
[18]
1st page woot!!
|
Rikeka
Amarr Eye of God X-PACT
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:08:00 -
[19]
[Quote]As observed by such noted CAOD posters as DigitalCommunist and James 315, Eve wars primarily revolve around the issue of morale, since pilots, corps and alliances can relocate rather than die.
SNORT!
Quote: The discussion was so animated that I lost nearly an hour of training time on a skill I was about to change
I admit I may have laughed here a bit. +-+-+-+-+ "I am matter... I am anti-matter... I can see your past... I can see your future... I consume time... And I will consume you!"
-Culex (SMRPG) |
Morris Falter
The Collective Against ALL Authorities
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:08:00 -
[20]
Another installment!
|
|
Jogyn
KIA Corp KIA Alliance
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:09:00 -
[21]
Interesting indeed.
You should get a mod to delete those spamm posts who fks up the flow though ;)
|
Kweel Nakashyn
Minmatar Aeden Tau Ceti Federation
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:12:00 -
[22]
THEY ARE NOT DEAD
James, you suck at yelling "victory" now. It has simply no sense at all. -=-=-
|
Pradege D'Hallur
Caldari The Collective Against ALL Authorities
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:12:00 -
[23]
WoW, I can't believe i read all that. Where is my gun.............
When we die God's job is to judge us..........My job is to arrange that meeting
|
scififreak
Minmatar Exanimo Inc Triumvirate.
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:15:00 -
[24]
Whoop de freaking doo.
I know what i'm doing for the next hour...reading this!
|
Zenst
Gallente Reikoku Band of Brothers
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:19:00 -
[25]
Originally by: James 315 Needless to say, I came out the winner in that argument. But because I understood the importance of communication,
O'RLY - must explain the short concise points .
In summary I disagree with everything you said. Awaiting paper-back edition now :).
|
Moon Kitten
GoonFleet
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:21:00 -
[26]
Edited by: Moon Kitten on 26/07/2007 16:25:05 Edited by: Moon Kitten on 26/07/2007 16:23:51 Have you considered on making this into a musical?
Why Is BoB Losing?: The Musical
I live under a bridge
|
BlackHorizon
Caldari Dark Knights of Deneb Against ALL Authorities
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:21:00 -
[27]
James 315, you are correct about the nature of alliances and moral. It can be said more succinctly with a rhetorical question: does an alliance PvP for carebearing or carebear for PvP?
|
DeTox MinRohim
Madhatters Inc. M. PIRE
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:23:00 -
[28]
Originally by: Zenst O'RLY
Scary... ------ This sig space is Read-only ! omgalink - Online Skillsheet |
EinaruS
Rage Academy oooh Shiny
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:25:00 -
[29]
a very interesting read, seemingly pretty accurate.. just one thing that bothers me in general is that people call DICE, BoB lite.. seeing as ATUK was considered a member of the BoB informal alliance long before the formal BoB alliance was created. but i agree with what you said about them. -
A finger...especially the middle one, is worth more than any amount of isk |
Donny Baker
Minmatar Quantum Industries
|
Posted - 2007.07.26 16:28:00 -
[30]
I missed the connection between your girlfriend with whom you live (harlot) and BoB. You lost training time, and are mad... therefore, BoB is going to die?
|
|
|
|
|
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 .. 13 :: one page |
First page | Previous page | Next page | Last page |