| Pages: [1] :: one page |
| Author |
Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 0 post(s) |
Mealtrom
   |
Posted - 2008.04.14 11:57:00 -
[1]
Nullsec Hauling
By Mealtrom
Version 1.0
This guide is a resource for the most abused profession in Eve, the independent nullsec hauler. Often maligned as a dangerous and expensive profession, nullsec hauling has rewards for those willing to invest themselves in it. This guide will focus on the commercial aspects of the job and assumes you don't have too much outside support. Without further ado, let me impart to you the first and most important lesson about nullsec hauling. Ready?
You're Going to Die, Horribly
They're going to get you and by god it isn't going to be dignified when they do. It doesn't matter how good you are. Someday you'll get intercepted by that pirate, hit that gate camp, get chased down, scrammed, shot, ransomed, and podded. They're going to take your nice things and have a good laugh about it later. These are the realities of the business you have chosen, and in the end all of Eve.
Then Why Do It?
Its tempting to ignore small scale nullsec hauling. Why go to all the trouble and risk when you could just stay in empire or buy your goods from some other vender? Indeed whats the point at all when rorquals and jump freighters are bridging to nullsec price gap faster than ever before? Simply put, theres money to be made. The nullsec gap is still substantial, logistics rorquals are usually tied up doing corp work, and as of the time of writing this guide owning a jump freighter makes you richer than god (in which case you should stop reading and go back to financing wars for your own amusement). We make nullsec hauling profitable by applying the golden rule of Eve, "never make a bet you can't afford to lose". With the right ship, planning, and skills you'll be able to avoid most hostile encounters outright and deal with the rest confidently. Here's how.
Building the Right Ship
The obvious first step to running nullsec hauling is to have a ship capable of it. You'll want a blockade runner class transport ship, or in a pinch a regular industrial or destroyer. Speed is life in nullsec and the faster you can align and warp the better your chances of surviving a hostile encounter. Nothing will get you popped faster than taking that clunky iteron five out to 0.0, or god forbid a freighter. The same goes for deep space transport ships, which defeat their own purpose by being too ponderous and slow for anything except a deep space convoy.
Fittings should emphasize the light and covert. All ships should have at least two warp core stabilizers in their low slots to avoid scrambling if not more. Excess spaces should be filled with nanofiber hulls and the like to increase your warp alignment and acceleration speed. There are a few key things to avoid in low slots. The first is intertial stabilizers, which are tempting but ultimately make you easier to lock and scramble by increasing your signature radius. The second fitting to avoid is armor repairers. While limitedly useful while rabbiting for a gate the hard truth of the matter is that if you are in a situation where you are tanking enemy damage you are most likely going to die. Finally, resist the urge to mount cargohold expanders. They use up precious low slots while simultaneously slowing and weakening your ship. Mid slots should include an afterburner or microwarp for escaping should your warp drives become useless and shield hardeners for defense. Shield repairers are also acceptable, but again put a dangerous emphasis on confrontation rather than evasion. A highslot should be a run of the mill cloaking device. Nothing fancy needed as the bonuses are mostly to lock time. It should go without saying by now but leave your weapons at home, they won't save you.
For the more advanced pilot rigging also goes a long way towards survivability. Low friction nozzle hoses, polycarbon engine housing, and Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizers are all good ways to increase your speed. Be wary of the corresponding penalty to armor though.
|
Mealtrom
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 11:58:00 -
[2]
Reserved for expansion
|
Mealtrom
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 11:59:00 -
[3]
Reserved for expansion
|
Mealtrom
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 12:01:00 -
[4]
Reserved for expansion.
|
Augeas
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 13:04:00 -
[5]
I'm surprised by your dislike of Inertial Stabilisers. Yes, they do increase your sig, but the significant boost to agility is well worth it, I think.
For example, after fitting 2 polycarbons on a Prowler, what are you going to fit in the lowslots? Nanofibres will stack badly, and WCS will probably be unhelpful.
|
Mealtrom
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 13:21:00 -
[6]
I simply think they're counterproductive since the net gain to escape chance is so small. I may be biased however since I use a viator and have very limited lowslots (no stack conflicts). You're right. I'll probably update that.
|
Augeas
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 13:40:00 -
[7]
All I know is that polycarbons and Istabs give the quickest align times on my Prowler. However, if you're fitting Nozzle Joints instead, then it may be worthwhile to fit nanofibres instead.
What we need to do is to plug in ship align times and sig radii into the locking-time formula, to see exactly what combination of mods is best for warping before being locked.
I like fitting an ECM Burst as well, for a small extra chance of escape. I've never had to use it though. |
Letigrizi
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 14:02:00 -
[8]
isnt ecm too weak?? the burst or the regular ones you could probably jam a single T1 frig only I guess according to the values. Which makes them a worthless addition. Correct me if I am wrong please...
|
Augeas
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 14:22:00 -
[9]
Burst ECM has a reasonable strength (9.6 I think), but acts only as a lockbreaker - it doesn't prevent locks for 20 seconds. It's AOE and you don't need to have a lock yourself.
So it gives you a small chance of breaking the tackle on you, allowing you to warp off. Of course the problems are that it has limited range, it will aggress you (so you can't jump), you'll have to be quick before someone relocks you, takes a lot of cap, etc. etc. etc.
But it still gives you a better chance of escape than fitting, say, a small shield booster.  |
William Ortega
Grave Diggers
Hydra Alliance
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 18:42:00 -
[10]
You should put in bold letters that people should avoid hauling to player owned stations. Chances are you wont be able to dock anyways, and there is nothing more ironic than getting all the way there only to be denied entry.
Supplying pirate stations is a good idea though. Market there is atrocious and pretty much anything will sell for a pretty penny. |
Maxim K
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 23:18:00 -
[11]
Not using a scout is simply a bad advice, disclaimer notwithstanding. Jumping into a trap is a common scenario, where the map statistics just does not help. It does not have to be a major gatecamp, a small gang will suffice. Otherwise not a bad guide.
I would suggest including a covert ops frigate for transporting small and valuable things.
|
Mealtrom
|
Posted - 2008.04.14 23:51:00 -
[12]
Edited by: Mealtrom on 14/04/2008 23:51:56
Yea I realize its controversial, but I firmly believe that taken together with other precautions its a better method. A very well organized scout can move quickly and coordinate well, but I've seen them do more harm than good a lot. You spend a lot of time waiting around. Sitting waiting for them to give all clear is a great way to get jumped too, and a scout is a good indication to your enemy that something valuable is coming down the pipe.
Something I forgot to mention that is crucial is to do your hauls in off hours when organized gatecamps are rarer. I wouldn't think for a moment I could get through nullsec in peak hours without a scout. Like everything else I treat it like a numbers game, I do it as a calculated risk even though I know it will kill me eventually. Even today I just barely managed to make it through a 20km bubble camp with microwarp.
Changes forthcoming on that and the covert ops hauler.
|
Lo Lightshard
Insurrection Inc
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 03:48:00 -
[13]
Great guide, a couple of counter-points:
I would recommend a scout for entry to 0.0.
I prefer the T2 cloak as it has less of a penalty on velocity which improves your chances of making the jump if you use the old "MWD back to gate and hit cloak" trick.
Have a think about fitting a damage control, I understand low slots are precious but have a look at what one does to your effective hit points.
Now, sig radius v's agility:
Base Lock Time = [10000/Scan Resolution Targetting)]/asinh(Signature Radius Target)
For a Taranis locking a Viator:
= (10000/880)/asinh(115) = 0.975s
EFT tells me that align time is 3.3 seconds with an istab, nanofiber and 2x snozzle joints.
Replacing the istab with a second nanofiber gives me an align time of 3.4. The locking equation becomes:
= (10000/880)/asinh(128) = 0.967s
Not that you aren't screwed anyway in this situation but it illustrates the point: sig radius increases on a low sig radius ship don't tend to make much difference to lock times -- you're probably better off on average with an istab.
[IMA6E REMOVED] |
Lord Fitz
Antares Fleet Yards
SMASH Alliance
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 06:48:00 -
[14]
If Lord Fitz = UsingAScout AND haulingIn0.0 THEN losses = 0.
If Lord Fitz != UsingAScout AND haulingIn0.0 THEN losses = >0.
Thus I can only conclude given that I've never lost anything while using a scout, every last one has been that time I didn't, that using a scout is the single greatest contributor to survival. Since I usually use a scout I've lost very little just some fairly worthless T1 haulers with some heavy water and stuff that I didn't feel were worth using a scout for.
If you're going to try and make it no matter what you encounter, then go for it, don't use a scout, but you will just jump into a T2 large bubble and and up unable to warp no matter how many stabs you have fitted. Never mind the huginn that will be sitting there also. For lowsec you can get away without a scout as quick alignment and warp will save you, in the land with bubbles, if you find yourself in a bubble, you have well and truely ****** up, a blockade runner and MWD just might maybe barely escape, anything else will be webbed and killed, even a blockade runner at best will have to turn around. Also, don't make your scout to obvious, some people might ignore a shuttle/n00bship scout in favour of killing what it is scouting for. If you have a scout that doesn't look like one, you can even have people chase that while you slip on by.
|
Boz Well
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 07:43:00 -
[15]
First, glad to see a guide on this, as I'm hoping to start hauling to low sec in the near future. However, I do have a few questions.
a) How do you pick a low sec area to haul to? I know my alliance's area of 0.0 fairly well, but that's a tiny part of the 0.0 spectrum. Are there some heavily populated 0.0 areas that would make for a good hauling/trading hub?
b) How about the use of a second account as a scout? While scouts can be clumsy, if it's your other account, it's only as clumsy as you are (and likely less so since it's not a hauler ^.^). That's how I was planning to scout, but I thought I'd get some feedback first.
c) How useful is a cloak? Is it a must-have? I currently have only industrial ships and am not planning to get transports for a bit now. Would a cloak drastically improve my chances of survival, with/without a scout? Could you give a bit of an overview as to how to use it to survive most effectively?
I'm sure I can come up with more questions later. Thanks again for the guide, and I look forward to your thoughts on these questions. 
|
Guvante
GALAXIAN
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 09:46:00 -
[16]
 Originally by: Boz Well
First, glad to see a guide on this, as I'm hoping to start hauling to low sec in the near future. However, I do have a few questions.
a) How do you pick a low sec area to haul to? I know my alliance's area of 0.0 fairly well, but that's a tiny part of the 0.0 spectrum. Are there some heavily populated 0.0 areas that would make for a good hauling/trading hub?
b) How about the use of a second account as a scout? While scouts can be clumsy, if it's your other account, it's only as clumsy as you are (and likely less so since it's not a hauler ^.^). That's how I was planning to scout, but I thought I'd get some feedback first.
c) How useful is a cloak? Is it a must-have? I currently have only industrial ships and am not planning to get transports for a bit now. Would a cloak drastically improve my chances of survival, with/without a scout? Could you give a bit of an overview as to how to use it to survive most effectively?
I'm sure I can come up with more questions later. Thanks again for the guide, and I look forward to your thoughts on these questions.
There are two ways of using a cloak.
1. Use it to avoid being scanned - while cloaked you cannot be found using scanning probes, making you unfindable if you are at a good safe spot. (Good if you can't get to either gate, but have an aggression timer that needs to go down before logging)
2. Use it to get out of a bubble in a gate camp - hard to do, but if the campers are distracted you simply move in a direction and hit your cloak, you are only uncloaked for about a second, making it hard to target you. Then you simply (slowly) make your way out of the bubble, and wait for the campers to be destracted by another player and then warp off.
|
Letrange
Minmatar
Chaosstorm Corporation
Apoapsis Multiversal Consortium
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 15:19:00 -
[17]
I-stabs, Nanos, Policarbs, Low frictions.
Oh yea the Prowler - love that ship - .
But for 0.0 operation I'd go with the Nano/Low friction combo. The main reason is policarbs are horribly expensive right now with the trit bar price spike. Sure if you're in angel space they are slightly easier to get but still very pricey. Since as stated - you will loose it eventually the minor performance gain from the policarbs is offset by the guaranteed eventual loss.
For the unfamiliar with rigging; Low Friction Nozzle Joins are the rig equivalent of Inertial stabilizers and Polycarbon Engine Housing are the rig equivalent of Nanofiber Internal Structures. Now in the game of 0.0 survival your ability to turn to warp and accelerate to warp (2 different things) are critical. From observation both modules and rigs have re-enforcing effects on both stats. The penalties on all the different modules and rigs are different. However the polycarbs are way way way high priced - 30mil in rigs and modules on a 30mil ship - ok - 130mil rigs on 30mil ship?, well if you're already rich.
Incidentally for the Prowler if they're thru your shields you're dead anyways so I'd consider the lock time penalty of the I-stabs (i.e. you make it quicker for your enemies to lock you) to be more of a problem than the reduction in structure.
The new infini-strength warp disruptors of the HIC class vessels are your greatest enemy.
|
Jerus Light
Kampala Corp
Brotherhood of the Spider
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 16:01:00 -
[18]
Originally by: Lo Lightshard
Now, sig radius v's agility:
Base Lock Time = [10000/Scan Resolution Targetting)]/asinh(Signature Radius Target)
For a Taranis locking a Viator:
= (10000/880)/asinh(115) = 0.975s
EFT tells me that align time is 3.3 seconds with an istab, nanofiber and 2x snozzle joints.
Replacing the istab with a second nanofiber gives me an align time of 3.4. The locking equation becomes:
= (10000/880)/asinh(128) = 0.967s
(The % difference in lock time is the same for all locking ships; the difference in align times is more pronounced if you don't have your agility skill to V.)
Been trying the above calcs and am a bit confused. Are the above examples supposed to calulate out correctly or just examples of use?
(10000/880)/asinh(128) = 0.967s
I get 2.05 for the above calc?
10000/880 = 11.36 recuring
asinh(128) gives 5.5451
11.36/5.5451 = 2.04 with some rounding.
Where am I going wrong?
Thanks,
Jerus.
|
Tyamo
The Greater Goon
GoonSwarm
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 17:24:00 -
[19]
Nah, you're right Jerus. That does work out to be 2.05.
|
SketS
Minmatar
Precision Engineering
Insurgency
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 17:30:00 -
[20]
Edited by: SketS on 15/04/2008 17:34:42
all fun and stuff, but how much isk can actually be made in a single haul? :-)
(edit:.. and what will be transported for instance?)
Only an idiot quotes himself
-SketS |
Queen Alma
Amarr
|
Posted - 2008.04.15 18:37:00 -
[21]
Followed your advice, jumped in low sec, met a fast locking HIC, lost my ship.
End of story... 
|
Lo Lightshard
Insurrection Inc
|
Posted - 2008.04.16 00:59:00 -
[22]
Originally by: Jerus Light
Been trying the above calcs and am a bit confused. Are the above examples supposed to calulate out correctly or just examples of use?
(10000/880)/asinh(128) = 0.967s
I get 2.05 for the above calc?
10000/880 = 11.36 recuring
asinh(128) gives 5.5451
11.36/5.5451 = 2.04 with some rounding.
Where am I going wrong?
Thanks,
Jerus.
You are right. Sorry, I used an asinh() calculator on some website I googled and it gave incorrect values. I fixed up the maths in my post above.
[IMA6E REMOVED] |
Hoshi
Blackguard Brigade
|
Posted - 2008.04.16 09:54:00 -
[23]
While that is the locktime formula posted but TomB a few years ago I think it has been proven that it's not the one in use right now.
This should be the correct one: (40000 / ScanRes) / (asinh(SigRadius) ^ 2)
That will give you 1.537 and 1.478 sec lock time respectively (+ lag of course :) ).
----------------------------------------
A Guide to Scan Probing in Revelations |
| |
|
| Pages: [1] :: one page |
| First page | Previous page | Next page | Last page |