Mynxee
AlfaCorp
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Posted - 2008.06.17 15:37:00 -
[1]
PvP opportunities may have been there all along, but FW makes them accessible with little to no effort, encouraging on-a-whim participation. This, combined with the a certain infectious (and highly entertaining) kamikaze mindset seen in many FW participants, is very appealing.
Whether they live or die, the PvP noobs learn something and hopefully come back better prepared the next time--offering more interesting engagements going forward. Regardless, there's plenty of action and fun to go around.
Plus...as most of us who've lived in low sec know, familiarity tends to breed affinity and increase one's comfort zone with operating there. FW is giving people that familiarity and I'm thrilled to see it. Nothing is more boring than an empty low sec system <wink>.
One of my gripes about FW fleets is how long they take to form and actually get underway. Took at least an hour last night to get a fleet going and doing something. Not sure how this issue might best be addressed or if it even can be (and I'm not faulting the FC, either)--it may just be the nature of the beast. It's certainly easy enough to keep occupied with other things while waiting for the fleet to move out. However, some people grew quite impatient with the fleet formation process. It was worth the wait, though--we prevailed in two nice engagements against the Caldari in Heydelies and Abune while I was in fleet.
As far as fleet members' experience, let me just say, it's not all frigates, baby. There are some very experienced PvP pilots and FC's in the militias. I'd like to see them share that experience via some structured tutoring of new PvP'ers. Maybe along the lines of taking noob fleets out on "learning" engagements, during which the FC takes the time to 'splain fleet mechanics and FW-relevant specifics/objectives. Might be a good activity for when opportunities for bigger engagements are lacking.
Yeah, you can learn a lot from observation just by being in a fleet, but there are also a lot of often-unspoken expectations (particularly with regard to the mechanics of fleet operations--such as overview settings, using the Broadcast and Fleet windows, following orders, behavior when arriving at a fleet-warped destination, targeting enemies, etc.) that--were they shared--could help reduce confusion in fleets with lots of players new to PvP. You can read player guides and other info til your eyes fall out, but actual doing and being able to ask questions about things as you go is likely faster and more effective.
Well. I guess that's sufficient rambling for one post 
It's true--real women DO play EVE.
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