Pakkrat

To post in the new [Roleplayers] channel, add /rp before your text in any other channel. It will tell the server to divert it to the yellow [Roleplayers] channel. If you are a plebeian and not a thespian, type /rpoff so you will not be bothered by the growing number of in-character chat posts from the galaxy. The Roleplaying community thanks Zackman for adding this new and exciting option for pilots to truly immerse themselves in the Earth & Beyond galaxy, leaving behind the crunch, ubercentricity, and drama of players. They will become pilots in spirit as well. Let us continue to be civil as citizens of the galaxy under SolSec unity or in the spirit of freelance liberation from all the ideologies of individual racial and governmental agenda. Advertise your wares, if you must, in-character. Services too. Roleplayers the galaxy over would love to hear your take on current affairs and reactions to recent events, news, and the like from your roleplaying toon's perspective. AS the two channels are near enough in color, please do not think I, as your Anchor-rat for Net-7 News am posting the newsblurbs in [Roleplayers]. However, do feel free to react to the news in-character in [Roleplayers] and out-of-character in [General]. It would greatly flavor the game for pilots to have their say in return. The new [Roleplayers] channel adds a new and exponentially more-fun element to the Earth & Beyond Emulator. Let the game-Winners sit on the sidelines and watch as we enjoy the society and interactions pilot-to-pilot. Finally, be on the lookout for toons that might post only in the new channel. Those toons may be Dev moles, GM agents, Net-7 News undercover correspondents. Who knows what they are up to? From the galactic registry at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat Roleplaying toons: Pakkratius Sentinel 150+ Pakkrateus Privateer 132 Pakkrat Trader 42 Backstage toons: (coming Soon(TM))

The Private channels are rarely used.  Though it is a chore to set up a Private channel and not every RPer is currently going to assume one is active when they log on, it's currently the only option.  I'd much prefer a persisitent check-box channel, but that might require unauthorized changes to the chat system.   On location at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

Then my advice at this point is to start with your preferred roleplay toon (s) and register them in the registry thread here in Roleplaying. Then at least you are ready to be In-character even should a Guild never take off. Have a look at other toon concepts there. I think you won't find much that breaks canon or stretches it too far into Disbelief. I am more and more heartened with each player that declares a desire to start up any degree of roleplay here in the Earth & Beyond Emulator. On location at the Galactic Registry Department, this is the Pakkrat.

Hello, pilots, As of 0625 Eastern US, on April 19, 2013, I was promoted to "Head", or Editor if you will, of Net-7 News. I'm honored to now sit at the Editor's desk of NET-7 SOL. As I learn more of what that entails and feel out my extended reach into the Project, (I'm still not a full member of N7 Entertainment), I will be putting out a call for Reporters. I have put out there that I am in no way territorial about Reporting the in-game news and now I get to back that up with a call for dedicated, creative, entertaining, sensational, and tactful Reporters for each of the races, Jenquai, Progen, and Terran. As pilots have seen, a Reporter gets to transmit in the yellow News Channel, type up articles in the www.net-7.org news tabs, and run around as I have discovering news as it happens and as it comes from pilots, Guilds, changes to the game from Developers, and more public maneuvers from GameMasters. I have said before that Net-7 News is meant to entertain pilots and give informative flavor, sometimes called "fluff" to the game world. I took a humorous approach. A Reporter also upholds journalistic objectivity to all sides of issues concerning the Emulator. Finally, a Reporter shows integrity in that he does all that he says he will to the best the Emulator (and by extension, the Project) will allow. I've been labeled a loudmouth, a town crier, a lecherous rat, and many other descriptors in the past as these eight months. Yet, more pilots show a desire to see the news and get clues to the goings-on of the Sunrise galaxy. News Reporters need to understand that the crowd can be tough on them more often than not. I still get poked for typos in-game and on the Portal Newsroom. It truly is a fun job for me. If I've piqued your interest in this task-set, or perhaps you have an affinity for the news of a particular race, please send me a Private Message, either here in the Forum or a /tell in-game when you see me online. This is assuredly not a full-time job and certainly not something we want to flood the chat channels with lest pilots type /n7newsoff. To be sure, the [N7R] position crosses all Guild lines and barriers, reaching out to all pilots who make the mistake of communicating with the press. Finally, I'd like a team of co-workers that are spread out over the time zones so as to allow all our pilots exposure to the Net-7 News label and transmissions. I'd like to cover as many time zones, yes even the low population hours. Drooling yet? Net-7 Reporters are tagged and released with the [N7R] tag and are treated like the press, so buyer beware. This tag is toggled on and off with a command so if you're only online to play, it can be toggled off. You'll get to bug Devs who deem you worthy to leak clues, new Content, and subtle hints. Through you, the Reporter, the Content team will have a means to advertising somewhere other than the Patch Notes in the login screen. Finally, there may be in the works a Forum area that may Soon(TM) become a sub-Forum for longer articles that won't fit into chat newsblurbs or is too large for the Portal Newsroom. Reporters will be able to help pilots with their articles and entertain at the same time. Objectivity, integrity, entertainment, and fun are what the Net-7 News team is about. The most we suffer is /ignore and /n7newsoff, which is fine by me. Be ready to be coached and guided by the Devs and the GMs, as us Reporters are subject to their transmissions stipulations. They are the FCC to Net-7 News. Respect them as they honor you as a Reporter and field correspondent. Lastly, I shamelessly plug here that the Net-7 News team is 50% roleplaying, in a harsh, "grizzled gamers" world where most only play to get the ubercentric, cool drop to let other pilots touch on occasion. Be ready to plow through such detritus and bring the Earth & Beyond Storyline resource forth and into the light as we move forward with Timeline content and innovations from the Content Developers. Can you match wits with the pilot masses and work with the N7 Entertainment staff? From the Editor's desk at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat. P.S. Current and lately transmitting N7R staff are myself and Ryle. We answer to Shaddex, who is letting out the leash a little. My thanks to him.

Again, you intrigue me with your ideas, gang. I would love to do this for all the pilots out there. I simply do not have the authority to create more sub-Forums. I do suggest this though. The reporting sub-Forum might need to be located in the Roleplaying area as it deals with story, interactions with Non-Player Characters, game effects taken in-character, and pilots (not players' reactions to news). Also, when I seek to inform the galaxy the pilots' responses and reactions, I try to do so in-character. I am concerned with pilots (semi-roleplaying) rather than players (out-of-character or out-of-context). I will not Report on issues that do not have some basis of story behind them. That is, I will not step on the Advocate's scope of practice.I can present it in a way that comes from the pilot, IF the pilot will help to do so when communicating to Net-7 News in-game or in a Personal Message to the Pakkrat here in the Forum. Much of my job is to continue the story feel and flavor of the Earth & Beyond universe. To that end, I uphold a viewpoint skewed in favor (what me biased?) of telling a story both to the pilot-player and to the Developers so that all have slightly more fun. In pencil-and-paper RPGs, the GM or game world designer is at the table to have fun too. Welcome to Net-7 News. Purchasing Aromatic Chocolate in the bazaar of Nostrand Vor City, this is the Pakkrat.

I like this idea. I was wondering if there would ever be a calling for a Forum spot for posting correspondence. Some were telling me to not to spam the Forum with everything I have as that would cheapen the in-game newsblurbs, even though less than a quarter of the pilots deem to peruse the E&B Emulator Forum. From the Net terminal at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

[quote name="gropos" post="77125" timestamp="1366215955"] Does the content of EnB now, or did it in live, come close to the best game you have ever played?   Not even close. As an MMO, it is not designed to be a thrill a minute game that has a defined beginning, middle and end. MMOs, any MMO is going to have huge amounts of dead space, time and grind. What makes that palatable, and even enjoyable and rewarding are the people you are playing with, the community.   Maybe that is what is missing/needed. Not a player advocate (not knocking the role), but an actual Dev level community manager. Just a thought.[/quote] May I field this one? Do you think that the Net-7 News team might work more closely with the Advocate in this suggested manner? As a Reporter, I do sit there (while I shamelessly plug Call Forwards) and listen to the General, Market, and New Players channels, alongside my Guild's channel. Could the Net-7 News cooperate with the Advocate as needed or wanted? I think so. But to do this suggested task-set, Net-7 News might need field correspondents at overlapping time zones to be effective and hear the goings on of the server. I have posted before that I am in no way territorial about reporting the News. Ryle and I have been the only two Reporters with any extended commitment to bringing you, the pilots, the News, space weather, and other game conditions. If you think you have the journalistic integrity to help the Advocate and ease communications across player-Dev lines, by all means send Shaddex a Private Message and inform him of your interest. Reporting is not a full-time job. It's not a full N7 Entertainment Inc position. You can still enjoy the game and have a galactic say, with journalistic flare. You, a Reporter, get to post reports on the www.net-7.org Headlines, Jenquai, Progen, and Terran news tabs. You can find plenty of gaps between my reports and report hours to do your own show with all your own flavors. I have a ton of fun doing the job, interviewing pilots and [DEV]toons and hearing the cheers, laughter, naysayers, and critics of my newsblurbs and helpful hints on the Portal. Have you the calling of a Reporter if you're sure you don't want to be a Developer? From the recruiter office at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

I will chime in with my well-wishes for Darkk, Darkk was the first Developer I encountered when I came to the Emulator back in September 2012. He was helpful, friendly, polite, and yet removed enough to let me stub my toes and slam the door on my tail when the time came. I will miss him. In October, he helped me into the position and role of the Net-7 Reporter on the news team. I did so out of a long-lost, high school, nostalgic desire to engage in journalism in a realm that was safe from Real Life(TM) negativity. Darkk coached me, and in some cases helped me to know when not to transmit a topic. He was not a censor but a guide. It was through his tutelage that I later met with Stanig, Shaddex (though we have never spoken), and everyone's favorite Byakhee. I attribute Darkk as a significant factor to the humorous, zany, informative, and helpful news that I spew onto the Net-7 News channel, the General chat, and my own contributions in Market. Even though I am not truly a member of the N7 Entertainment Inc staff, Darkk was certainly one to be welcoming me as a team member the entire time. His PMs of his laughter after a news post made it worth every report. It was this kind of support from Developers, GMs, and the Web Team that make my job fun and allow me to transfer that "insane rat's" flavor to the pilots of the Earth & Beyond Emulator. I am saddened to see him go. However, I am not sadistic enough to beg him to stay when there is a much grander array of opportunities for him. I remember one of his first replies when I entered the Newsroom of NET-7 SOL: "I don't talk to the press." -Darkk1 Such wisdom. To whomever has the painful job of dealing with me, both as a player and as a Net-7 Reporter, I say thank you for stepping up to the plate and occasionally caging the rat. Because he'll gnaw your ears off with his journalistic probing. That next person will have to deal with my aircraft carriers, short stories, novels, and calls for more roleplayers. To that next person, I say those are some big shoes will be fitting into. Fly safe, Darkk, wherever your 200% IX Engines take you. From the highest comm tower of NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

It might coin a new term: ubercentrism (n.) 1. a bias towards player avatars that are more developed than others. 2. creating content in a game that favors higher tier avatars and neglects lower tier avatars. 3. referees ruling in favor of advanced game avatars over those still developing. Forging new logophilia at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

Excellent work. A few questions from Net-7 News: 1. How does a pilot go about starting the Gold Token missions to enter Agrippa Stage I via the so-called "back door" that the strange Progen female, a.k.a. 'Growlz' has made available through her clandestine channels? 2. Ammunition for Kenlz requires a silicate, recently discovered as Astral Glass. How much Astral Glass does Kenlz want? 3. Kenlz has been spotted in Lagarto sector. Can you be more specific as to his coordinates? 4. Has any other pilot discovered the other routes into "back door" Stage I of Agrippa Technologies? 5. Can you speculate as to why this 'Growlz' is doing this? Thoughtful answers only please. And do try to answer in-character if you can. On location at Nostrand Vor, this is the Pakkrat.

Guild: Builders Inc Founder: Devilmagoo On location at the galactic Guild registry, this is the Pakkrat.

Nothing really works here, any pilot can see, There's no such thing, as continuity...... ......call me when the patch comes........

So you think you can patch it and ev'rything's all right? So you think you have fixed it and then take flight? Oh baby! You're a guy maybe.... Just gotta turn out, Just gotta put out, Just gotta burn right outta here....

Of course I'm not going to, but this sounds like a news scoop and story. Unique Item Mail Smuggling Ring Sting - News at 11 on Net-7 News. But I'm not gonna get my tail bit by the Network censors. From the situation room at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat. *mike/speaker feedback squeal* "Whaddyou mean, 'Get off the mike'?" *static*

Funny how the award is called the "Golden Poo". I got a kick out of that. On location at Earth Station, this is the Pakkrat.

I don't know if this has been suggested before now, but here goes. How about some pop-rock mobs-only loot? How about some system that only drops specifically from pop-rock mobs? There could be some interesting story potential as to why such a mob might exclusively have such systems or even vendor loot. How about level y Historical Data Discs that, in their descriptions, hold some moment of history along the Earth & Beyond Storyline prior to the common present time? Could they be turned in for credits or Faction to those Factions that care about accurate history or recent history? There are many different items I could suggest that point back to and encourage pilots to read the Storyline resource document to better puzzle out which Faction might want that particular tidbit of lost information. As to systems, perhaps the drop could be of use to pilots who mined the 'roid or of value to other classes? Many is the miner that has succumbed to the 'roid monster that ate their system. Perhaps the 'roid is a coprolite after that Nagifar ate Trader Joe-Shmo who was not paying attention to his radar. There is potential for pop-rock mobs to be more than just space fauna. From the archives at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

Group mining. Mining covenants will protect the individual, factor the Explore experience, and clear the fields faster. Add in a Terran Trader for his Negotiate and his group $ buff, and you receive a worthy operation that is safe, effective, and circumvents the asinine AFK-botters who are ruining the economy, the reputation of Miners and Scavengers, and the game. I'll just step off my soap- *crashing and tumbling sounds*...........

Privateer Combat and Utilitarian Skills: Menace is worthless past its first dot. If you must have more, try a buff from a system that grants Menace levels. I have never, ever been asked to Menace during solo, group, runs, or Raids. Shield Inversion. Max it. It only gets better and better with Shield Tech. Critical Targeting. Max it. Privateer's claim to fame in all aspects of combat. Since it looks like a long time will pass before Dismantle is Developed, (if ever), I suggest Missile Weapon alongside Projectile weapons as Shield Inversion is not direction based. There are a few Progen-only missile launchers out there, (e.g. "Fist of the Merus Milia"). Negotiate. A must if you're going to try those newer Privateer trade runs out of Nostrand Vor. Max it. Tech Skills. Max all your Techs. It will solve more problems in the long run. Beam Weapons. Not worth the time or effort, except if you want to save credits at OL 1-50 but then have it Called Forward. Recharge Shields. Max it and keep it maxed. 'Nuff said. Build Weapons. If no other Builds are taken, max this one. The above will get you into Raids easily. All else is fluff of the crafting system. Being down one skill, having never been Developed, the Privateer is in a position of getting higher skills much earlier than most other classes. My Privateer, Pakkrateus, is not a crafter and thus makes only his own ammunition and is a proficient fighter and a healer. I agree that the Privateer should get the systems and devices that will help that reactor stay happy. Just as well, the healer Privateer should look into the "Guardian" device at 200% quality to be of aid alongside the Terran Trader. The two can switch out healing, grabbing aggro, and regenerating reactor power. They make for a good healer team, even as the Privateer does damage with 5 weapons and Shield Inversion. On location at Nostrand Vor, this is the Pakkrat.

I suck at editing wikis. Would it be permissible to submit a helpful article of player knowledge here and have you guys who are behind this project to transfer it to the wiki to the most appropriate sections? On location at Nostrand Vor, this is the Pakkrat.

This might be a worthy Miners' Project, to list the target ores for missions. Speaking from the viewpoint of the Call Forward mission walkthrough, a complete list of ores, amounts, and when in the mission they will be needed sounds like a valid project. I don't know if the Developer team, the GMs, or whatnot may approve or disapprove of players making materials walkthroughs for fellow players, but nothing is stopping you from taking such an asset off-site to be sure. Via the Items Database, you could find the necessary ores for items, mission turn-ins, and other uses. Listing them and their mission would help your fellow Miners decide on what to put on the Market to the Component builders. They certainly appreciate having crafted 200% items from 200% components via ores. Mining is a worthy occupation in the Emulator. I have listened on Teamspeak and in chat channels the call of the Component builders who need those items, not only for Builds, but also for Raid and run triggers, (e.g. Fishmaster2000, Face of the Ten-Gu, OCD, etc.) The more Miners that can get out there with clear target ores, the better the economy in the Emulator will flourish. After Mining will comes Refining. Some missions require refined ores. Some ores are NEVER to be refined. A list of such would be helpful to those Miners who intend to enter the Market and make a profit off of hard work. Related to Mining is Scavenging for systems, (e.g. Prototype systems, Prototype ammo samples, Ancient Artifacts, etc.) from hulks. Miners are the only ones that can extract those systems and other valuable items. A list of what classes may benefit from the "aa" items would be handy for Miners who seek to put those unearthed arcana up for bidders. You have a good idea going. Make it happen and Miners will see glory once more in the Market. From the Economy Department of NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat

Calm down, dearheart. It's still early morning and most of the Western Hemisphere is still asleep. Hi. I'm Pakkrat with Net-7 News. You'll get better responses if you post this in the sub-Forum Technical Support as opposed to General Discussion, though they do look in here. Next, try to put the error in more detail. Any further details you can give, step by step, as they appear on the screen, will help the Tech Support (TS), Game Masters (GM), and Developers (DEV) assist you. A little patience and they may be able to provide you with a solution. Yes, we all got tears in our eyes when we first re-discovered Earth & Beyond Emulator after 10 years. A lot of us jumped through spiked, flaming hoops to get the programs to download, unpack, install, and execute. Give the Western Hemisphere a little time to coffee up and for the volunteer staff to help you. Patience. This response is merely to let you know that you are being heard. Like you, I'm not techy person, so I can't help you, but yes there are folk on who will read your stuff and provide assistance. From the situation room of NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

To lend more point of view, I play a Sentinel. While this excludes me from most of what this topic has to offer, I too feel the pain of Item and Skill use on the Tank or the group's damage-dealing classes. My main focus as a Sentinel is to fire my guns on occasion, buff and otherwise skew the odds in the group's favor, and provide Jumpstart services to downed group members. Most, somewhat elitist groups would altogether shun the inclusion of a Sentinel on a Raid in favor of a Jenquai Explorer, (for his reactor renewals and such). My last use is not class-based. It is that I'm willing to drive, that is to free up needing to point the group at targets because my Scan skill is superior to Tanks such as the Warrior and the Enforcer, (inferior to the Defender who uses Telescopium device and and has maximum Scan). Now, I am not asking for a fix in the Tank/Healer paradigm. If it were to be 'fixed', then there would no longer be a need for Jumpstarters, (and I Jumpstart fast with a Tactical Advantage from Ag*****!) What I am suggesting is a boost in the aggro controlling skills and items. Befriend, Powerdown, Enrage, just to name a few need to reduce, zero-out, and raise respectively their aggro modifications. As they are now, the aggro control skills are considered by many pilots to be wastes of skill points. With the systems I can field, I can have up to 4 skill levels in Powerdown and never spend Skill Points in what amounts as a waste of Raid time. At a recent Mordana run, I was called upon to Jumpstart about 4 or 5 times. This is not unreasonable given that run because of the breaks between locations and the triggered nature of the run. At a Controller Raid, I was called upon to Jumpstart maybe 3 times, though I was late to two of them, (stolen by those awful Jennys). While Raids are meant to be fun, they are also meant to challenge and leave scars. Pilots who can't take the heat, need to consider their favorite role in group dynamics. "You don't have any fears, Pakkrat. You're just a Sentinel," a group member might say. True, but I'm contributing and making the run or the Raid go smoother. There have been times my level IX aa Gahtu has gotten me derelicted because I thought Magoo's Warrior needed to do some serious damage with his six-guns. I offer this: I'm willing to put my tail on the line, even if I only get a snowball's chance in Hell at a peachy-keen drop from the run or the Raid. Boost the skills that modify aggro to meet the needs of the Tank/Healer dynamic, so that pilots will feel the weight of considering those skills again instead of pushing them aside as useless. I don't know a single Terran Trader that has felt a need for Befriend to this date. They can describe it, yes, but for practical use? No. Even your Q-ship, non-Builder Traders poo-poo the skill. I was one of them in EA Live. I played Pakkrat, a Terran Trader on Orion. Next is the new frontier of N7 Entertainment's Live. There is much debate as to the diversion from or keeping faith with EA Live. Some pilots want the game they remember 10 years ago. Some adventurous pilots are willing to see what the Developers can come up with that is wholly new and groundbreaking. I myself came back out of nostalgia. Now that we are N7 Live, I'm in the second camp of wanting new and interesting Content. Mind you, I love the Storyline and hope to see it progress as intended. There is room for side stories, Guild interactions, and many other details oft-overlooked by "grizzled gamers", (yes I am quoting someone). My bottom line is: change something, but don't change everything. Everybody loves the game. We just need to transcend Winning and Losing. It's not whether you win or lose 45 times over, but how you play the game. From the soapbox at NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

It has been my experience with these skill missions, as well as Stanig's Progen Funhouse Themepark, Ag*****, and others that the mission will not update or trigger unless you purposefully warp all the way to the target nav point, then do the thing that is required or wait at the site, etc. Try not to thrust on impulse up to the nav point. The server will not think that you are approaching in the name of a mission. This has been my experience. I'm seeing the same things with the Themepark at "Intelligence" as the correct Talon Fighters ( as opposed to Talon Protectors) are refusing to spawn. Perhaps the mission requires that I or my group slaughter a goodly number of Protectors to get the Fighters to respond to the carnage? This may be a case where the server is not recognizing the Why of a pilot's approach. But hey, what does a rat know, right? From the Odix Rex ( yes it's misspelled in the mission PDA description) gate to Paramis, this is the Pakkrat.

[quote name="JusticeZero" post="67307" timestamp="1353975235"] . Then they can hang out with the likeminded people they've found without worrying about being swarmed by griefers or random vampire succubus catgirl teenagers.[/quote] I'd like to know exactly what is 'grief' about that Space Pirate Anthropomorphic Ninja Catgirl who has been making I Want It eyes at you from across the lounge? Half the folk on this server are lying about their age, location, gender, and other affiliations in their bios anyways. I could be a real rat for all that might frighten you. Welcome to the Internet. Get caught up in the webs like the rest of us Users. From the open mike stage in the lounge of NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.

Mmmmmmmyeeeaahhh. Could be. Tell me how it turns out and I'll Report it on the nightly Net-7 News. If you make it more in-character as you uncover the truth, I can better report it than let it out as a game spoiler. From the Geology Department of NET-7 SOL, this is the Pakkrat.