Autopilot back to HQ

Alone at the tower means more scanning. Maybe we should invent a technology for more reliable passageway through w-space, perhaps some kind of 'gate' that links two star systems together. Until this marvellous new invention becomes a reality, I borrow the Buzzard again to try to find a route to New Eden, as I need to refresh my laboratory research again. The wormhole in our home system is easy to find. The neighbouring system is occupied, and I quickly locate another wormhole, thanks to the lack of signatures to resolve. Warping to the wormhole and interrogating the Buzzard's systems reveals that the wormhole 'leads to dangerous parts of unknown space', which is an indicator that a class 4 or higher w-space system lies beyond. A class 4 system won't get me any closer to New Eden, so I warp back to a relatively safe spot and resume scanning.

Another wormhole is revealed, but only after chasing around a 99·9% strength signal for ten minutes. I try to resolve the location of the wormhole so I can warp to it, but nothing works. In desperation, I increase the probe resolution from 0·5 AU to 1 AU, and the next scan reveals the precise location. This second wormhole also leads to unknown space, but nothing 'dangerous', indicating a lower class of w-space system on the other side and more likely to hold a wormhole leading to k-space. Jumping through, I find quite a few sites appearing on a scan. Thankfully, it doesn't take long to find a wormhole leading out of w-space to New Eden, and that it leads to low-sec doesn't concern me at all. I bookmark the wormhole without venturing through it, and head back to the tower.

I dutifully copy the bookmarks of the wormholes describing the route to low-sec for my corporation colleagues, swap the Buzzard for a Crane, and head out to New Eden. When I reach low-sec, I find a rather lengthy route waiting for me, having to make over thirty jumps to reach the laboratories. I check my autopilot settings, but they are already directing me to the shortest journey by including low-sec hops, only saving me three jumps or so. At least high-sec navigation can be completed automatically, unlike scanning, so the inconvenient exit is compensated by the ease of finding the route out of w-space.

The autopilot settings are changed to remain in high-sec and I set my Crane on its way, the few extra jumps being inconsequential when I'm not paying attention anyway. Instead, I get out my drums and bang away for a while, keeping an occasional eye on my Crane's progress. After a good amount of practice I am in the system adjacent to my corporation's laboratories, which is good timing. I refresh my ME research jobs, installing one new BPO to replace the Badger Mk II BPO, which is now nicely researched and ready for the production line. The shorter journey of a dozen hops to my manufacturing bases seems like a stroll in the park now, so I navigate my way there and install a sample production run of the Badger Mk II.

Whilst out in New Eden and at my production facility, I take the opportunity to check on the state of the market. A quick scan of the prices reveals some excellent gaps to be filled as well as some outrageous prices to be marginally undercut. It's handy that I have my previous batch of production runs available to take to market, which should generate a tidy profit, although I don't have the minerals available to refresh the manufacturing lines. That will have to wait for another day. I set course for the journey back to the wormhole and w-space.

I restore my autopilot settings to guide me through low-sec for a shorter route, and enjoy all six of the low-sec jumps along my longer route. When I am a couple of hops away from the wormhole, I realise that I am close to my old PvP corporation's base of operations, where I still have a few ships parked. A one-jump diversion seems quite reasonable in order to collect a ship. I also find that it is now possible, if it wasn't before, to repackage a ship and have all its modules automatically be unfitted and dropped in the hangar, removing the need to swap between ships. With the ship and fittings transferred to the Crane, I am able to return through the wormholes to the tower in w-space, with a tracking-disrupting Crucifier to add to our resources.

Posted in Gaming |
Tags: buzzard, crane, crucifier, eve online, industry, low-sec, mmorpg, penny ibramovic, scanning, w-space