The official Hulkageddon manager has disappeared since a while.

Despite that, Goonswarm have formed a team dedicated to continued exhumers mass destruction that more than replaces Hulkageddon.

In fact, while the original Hulkageddon was something for the "wanna be average Joe ganker" and its balance and prizes were adequate to that, Goonswarm have basically endless funding, quite the grip over a lot of content of the game (some markets, vast 0.0 areas...) and therefore can afford a true, never ending carpet bombing strategy (without discerning between bots and not bots).


How do you feel about this?

Good for the game, because it removes many bots?

Bad because non bots are killed and podded as well?

Good or bad because it sort of pushes ice mining more to 0.0? (if the carpet bombing keeps being as thorough as is now)?

Good because more ships will be made?

Bad because nobody in hi sec can defend from an endless funds huge alliance?

This "different Hulkageddon" poses several philosophical and game design questions.

If they perma-keep the carpet bomb runs (I hope so!), basically this will remove hi sec ice mining for good.
I see it as one of those "exploits" that must be repeated till large playerbase enough quits and the developers wake up off their slumber. (not really exploit in the "illegal" sense of the term, they are fully entitled to this).
Hi sec dwellers are too helpless and fragmented to ever form an effective "counter" and they are against a mammoth, not the usual "average Joe" tears fuelled suicide gankers. Also there's no real defense against an organization that can just bring N + 1 ships whatever buffs / tank you fit (and Macks are not known for their survivability at all).

What tools does EvE give to counter / fight against this potentially (they have not confirmed or denied!) strong and continued initiative?

I rewrite the hypothetical terms in short:

1) Unlimited funding for the operation.
2) Unlimited duration.
3) Unlimited and thorough belts carpet bombing. You can see the same players killed multiple times a day, there's no "recoup the losses by mining more" factor. First time it happens and if Goons are smart they will keep this pressure for months.

Long term consequences of the above on the playerbase (in general)?
0.0 consequences / monopoly? (yes I am baiting you 0.0 haters!)
Choices left to the hi sec miners since whatever they do, they will die?

I find all of this quite intellectually amusing (am I slowing goonizing myself?)

You don't get it, do you?

You'll never make mining viable nor fun if not by making it impossible until the devs do something drastic.

So you're part of the growing group of vigilantes and being a vigilante makes you feel special

I have no idea what you're talking about but it sounded pretty gay

If mining mechanics were not so obsolete then we'd have mechanisms for active protection.

If mining mechanics were not so obsolete then we'd have mechanisms for active protection.

How do you feel about this?

It's interesting how Moon mining and PI are other forms of resource gathering in this game introduced since belt mining, and they're passive in nature rather than requiring players to sit in a ship and shoot at something. I like to think that this is because CCP realised how bad mining gameplay is, but that probably isn't the reason.

As for bots, any activity that is boring and monotonous, and which requires no thought or creativity can and will be botted. This goes for mining, ratting, missions, and Jita 0.01 isk undercutting market PvP. Bots are a symptom of a bad game with boring gameplay. People complain about CCP not banning bots, instead you should complain about the gameplay, and make gameplay that requires human thought and creativity to play, then the bots will go away on their own.

Out of interest does anyone know of any bots that can do probing? If not then that's a step in the right direction.

Vote Mittani for CSM, making the game a better place one less bot at a time.

If mining mechanics were not so obsolete then we'd have mechanisms for active protection.

...
hey hey hey now, are you suggesting that people can mine in saftey is they play the game ?

have you ever considered that most of the miners mine afk and are thus sitting ducks for gankers while bots are quite clever nowadays and know when to GTFO?