Finding some miners
25th November 2009 – 5.35 pmThere is an awful lot of scanning to do when in the uncharted area that is w-space. Back in k-space, I tend to take many situations for granted. I can jump from one system to another through a stargate visible on any navigational computer, even being able to cruise across high-sec on auto-pilot. If there are hostile ships to destroy, an agent will kindly drop details of their location in my ship's computer, which I can then simply warp to. Out in w-space, everything needs to be discovered.
It's good that I choose to boost my scanning skills a little back when my corporation is first setting up in w-space. I may not have excellent skills at locating cosmic anomalies, but training the primary scanning skill and a couple of secondary certainly has made the process easier and quicker. When I find myself alone in w-space with little to do, I can't simply head to a mission agent or check on the market. First I need to get there, and to do that I need to find an exit.
Because our home w-space system is quickly cleared of sites of specific Sleeper interest, finding the static wormhole usually doesn't take long. A quick overall scan of the system brings up the couple of fresh signals a system otherwise bereft of anomalies spawns, and a few minutes strengthens the signals enough to be able to bookmark each one. The only problem is that the system's static wormhole leads again to w-space, a C3 system, where a further scan needs to be made in the hopes of finding an exit to k-space.
Luckily, today's connecting C3 only gives a few hits itself, and I find a way back to k-space, albeit in to a low-sec system a few jumps from high-sec space. I also find a neighbouring C5 system. I venture through to see what's on the other side. A quick check of the directional scanner reveals what can only be a mining operation in progress, with two Hulks, an Orca, Bestower and Hoarder visible. If one of the ships is named accurately, the capsuleers in the system belong to the Suicide Kings corporation. Relating this to my own corporation, and mentioning that I am going to stay to scan the system, I get the helpful advice, 'Don't die.'
'The Absolution and Purifier didn't get me, I think I'm safe against Hulks.' Pausing to reflect on what sound suspiciously like last words, I add, 'you can tattoo that on to my clone if anything happens to me'. I warp to a relatively safe spot, drop some probes, and activate the ship's cloaking device. My first scan of the overall system lights up my display with around sixteen sites. Sixteen sites, all with valuable Sleeper loot to claim, and the New Eden inhabitants instead want to drag rocks back to their tower!
If the system didn't have such active occupants, it would be ideal to wake up some other wormhole engineers and start raking in the profit. But it's probably not worth the risk in hoping that the miners will share their resources with us, them taking the rocks, us blowing up Sleepers. They could even let us take the risks with the Sleepers then come and claim the loot for themselves. And I don't have the patience to resolve every one of the signals, particularly if we won't get to visit them, so instead I let out a sigh for all the lucrative anomalies I'm leaving behind, and head back to the tower.
4 Responses to “Finding some miners”
I've been thinking lately it would be nice if the systems offered a range of exploration sites that went from class 1 up through whatever class the wormhole actually is. This might allow for some opportunities for a solo pilot idling at the tower before anyone else happens to log in.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were some modules to improve wormhole space like Dominion is bringing for 0.0 space?
Just out of interest, why was aggression not an option?
Could you not have roused your corp, gone there, murdered and looted the miners then done the sleeper sites while keeping a careful eye out for revenge fleets?
Or do you and your corp simply not play that way?
The corporation is essentially non-aggressive, although there are a few who would relish the occasional PvP encounter and others who agree that some aggression, even pre-emptive, is necessary in w-space.
In this case, though, aggression wasn't an option because I was by myself, and I have little means to rouse other members. As to whether we'd have attacked the miners is another matter.
I like your idea, Fin. The logistical difficulties in setting-up in w-space and keeping capsuleers engaged and towers fuelled must surely warrant some level of almost-guaranteed interaction within a system. It is a little frustrating to log in and find no one else around, and thus potentially nothing to do, and I doubt it is CCP's intention for anyone to find themselves in that position.
Perhaps the changes to null-sec will prompt similar changes to w-space, as you suggest.