PVP University FAQ

From Agony Unleashed
Revision as of 02:54, 6 March 2016 by Silas (Talk | contribs) (Out of date)

(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search
Info.png
This article is out of date and needs to be updated. Once the article has been brought up to date please remove this template from the article body.

Overview

The PVP University has taken on a life of its own such that answering questions and administrating the classes has become a rather large job. In order to minimize the amount of time spent on the forums answering the same questions over and over again, we've decided to consolidate those answers in an FAQ and post big, bold links to it all over the PVP University forum. Without further ado, what follows is a collection of the most frequently asked (and answered) questions in the PVP University.

Signing Up For Classes

When is the next class?

Look for a thread at the top of our Enrollment Forum.

Classes are scheduled as instructors and administrators are available and in such a way that will not conflict with any of Agony's internal events or other classes that may be scheduled (you will probably never see a separate BASIC and WOLFPACKS run the same weekend).

How do I know when a class will open?

There is an ingame mailing list called 'Agony PVP Uni'. An announcement will be posted to this list at the same time we post a thread announcing a class in the Enrollment forum.

In order to join the ingame mailing list follow the instructions below:

1. Open your Eve Mail inbox.

2. Click the 'Add Mailing List' button at the bottom of the window.

3. Type in "Agony PVP Uni"

4. Click 'Join'.

This is not to be confused with our public chat channel, "Agony Public".

Ok, I'm looking at an open sign-up thread. Now how do I sign up?

If you want to enroll in a PvP University course, general directions are listed below. As some classes may have specific enrollment requirements, please always follow the directions on the Enrollment thread. Please make sure that you follow the instructions to the letter, don't try to invent any unique manner of registration and so on.

Please read and understand this section completely before enrolling.

In order to sign up to and attend a class, you will have to register on the Agony forums. This is required.

When a new class is announced, a new sticky thread will appear in the enrollment forum and will be titled with the course name, date and time (for example, PVP-BASIC – 14th FEB, 0200 EVE TIME). The time is always based on Eve server time (i.e. UTC)! The name of this thread will also indicate whether it is open for enrollment:

- A thread with the prefix [OPEN] means the class is open for enrollment.

- A thread with the prefix [ANNOUNCED] means that the class has been announced, but is not yet open for enrollment (usually the announcement will state the date and time that enrollment will open).

- A thread with the prexix [CLOSED] means that the class is full, completed, or enrollment has been otherwise closed. New enrollments in a [CLOSED] thread (with the exception of alumni) will not be accepted.

To sign up to the class, simply post a reply in that thread in the following format:

Forum Name – Character Name (CORP TICKER)

For example:

Azual – Azual Skoll (AGONY)

Note that you must not use < > brackets or [ ] brackets because they mess up the program we use to process your enrollment.

If the course has any pre-requisite courses (for example PVP-WOLFPACKS required you to have first attended PVP-BASIC) please add a link in your signature to the enrollment thread for the course you took.

Paying For The Course

Once you’ve signed up in the enrolment thread, the final step is to pay for the course. To do this:

- Open the People & Places window in game.

- Under ‘Corporation’, search for ‘Agony Unleashed’

- Right click the result, and select ‘Give Money’.

- Enter the relevant amount for the course (see below!)

- In the ‘Reason’ field, enter the course code from your enrollment thread (e.g. BASIC – 1402090200); make sure this is the first thing entered in this field, since this message will be truncated in the log!

- Click OK!

Please note: Please transfer money from a personal account where possible. If you use a corp to corp funds transfer, you will need to advise the instructor so he knows to look for it!

Standard prices for our three main classes are as follows:

PVP-BASIC: 20 million
PVP-WOLFPACKS: 30 million
PVP-ADVANCED: 45 million

For all classes not listed here, the price will be given in the enrollment thread. Please note that occasionally even one of the above classes may have a special price, and in all instances the price listed in the enrollment thread overrules those in this FAQ.

I'm not signed up for a class. Can I just pay to get access to the reading material?

Access to all course reading material is now freely available throughout our Wiki. You don't need to enroll to read the course material, however, the reading material is only part of what each class offers. Classes consist of information that is in addition to the reading material, practical exercises, significant question-and-answer time, and, of course, the most fun you can have in Eve: A long roam through nullsec where many explosions are guaranteed!

What about my buddies? Is there any way we get on the same class?

Unfortunately Agony does not currently offer a buddy system for class signups. Large groups (greater than 50 potential students) may inquire about organizing a private class (contact Gizznit Malikite).

I've been marked as "Credited", what does that mean?!

That simply means that the class administrator has recognized your payment, but you signed up after the class was already closed, or you missed attending the class. The admin marks you as Credited so (s)he knows you've paid in case a slot opens up or the class is expanded.

Once you are credited, you are free to sign up for any later class of the same type for free (e.g. if you're credited for BASIC, you can only use that for another BASIC). Just make sure when you enroll that you mention you are using your class credit, and please link to the thread of the class you were credited from.

I can't make it to the class! Have I lost my money?

Of course not! Similar to the above, if you're signed up for a class but are unable to make it on the day, post in the enrollment thread and let us know, and you will be marked as credited so that you don't have to pay to take the course at a later date!

Eve University Students – A Special Note

Eve University, as a philanthropic organisation, attempts to maintain positive standings with as many other Eve entities as possible. Therefore, it prohibits students of Eve-U from unauthorized combat in 0.0. As an Eve-U student, you are welcome to attend an Agony class - but you should speak to your Eve-U mentor first and be prepared to drop out of Eve-U for a day to come to the Agony class.

Corporate Accounts

How do I set up a corporate account with Agony? I want to send a bunch of my friends through your class!

To qualify an officer of your corporation (or alliance) must set up a corporate account by making a post in this forum and then sending AGONY Unleashed the isk. Wihin a short amount of time an AGONY director will process your account. After this you will be able to enroll your students and the money will be deducted from your account. Make sure to give some time for processing, please don't try to set up the account one day before the course!

When starting a new account, please put this line in your post:

(Ticker) Corp Name - funds

For example:

(JVL) Joint Ventures Limited - 200mil

Make sure your students mention they are on the corp/alliance account.

As your account runs out you can add more money to your account and then merely post about it on the enrollment forum and it will be processed. Please provide date of payment for faster processing.

When setting up an account please provide your corp name, corp ticker and, if applicable, a list of classes authorized.

Transfer all isk in a corp to corp transfer to Agony Unleashed, and be sure to include a comment on what the isk is for.

To view current balances and account activity, please click here!

Preparing for Class

Make sure you have read all the required reading before the class, since this will not be covered in the theory section and both your instructor and your FC will assume you have read it!

For any class, there is a checklist you should follow to prepare.

  1. Enrollment - Make sure have correctly enrolled in the class, that you know when it is, and that your payment has been made (either by yourself, or through a corporate account on your behalf). Make sure you are aware that times advertised for classes are in EVE time. This is the time shown in the lower lefthand corner of your screen when docked in EVE (by default). EVEMon also has a feature that will show the current EVE time.
  2. Connect to the "Agony Public" channel - Click the speech bubble icon in the top bar across any chat window to open the Join Channel window. Type "Agony Public", and click 'Join'.
  3. Connect to the Teamspeak server - Once you gain access to the class materials, visit the Setting Up Teamspeak article and follow the instructions there on connecting to our Teamspeak server. NOTE: If you don't have a microphone, you still need to connect to Teamspeak so you can listen to the class. There is no point in attending if you can't hear the instructor!
  4. Check your skills - The skills you need to have before the class starts are listed on that classe's wiki page. They vary by class type but they are the minimum skills you MUST have trained to attend that class. Generally they aren't that steep at all, being after all minimum requirements.
  5. (Optional) Prepare your jump clone - If you plan on using your implant-free jump clone for the class, you will want to jump into it and fly it to the meeting location prior to start of the class. If you're looking for more information on jump clones and how you might go about obtaining one, refer to the following article: Jump Clones.
  6. Start reading the rest of the articles, browse the PVP-BASIC forum - The PVP-Basic articles can be found here. Here's the PVP-Basic forum.
  7. Buy your ships - In the case of BASIC, choose one type of frigate that you think you'll enjoy for the duration of the class. Having your class frigates in different types seems like a really good idea in theory, but in practice it tends to be frustrating and annoying. Don't choose a frigate with an astrometrics bonus. Don't choose an assault frigate, interceptor, or electronic attack frigate as a student - they require different techniques to fly than a basic tech 1 frigate, and we won't be covering those techniques in this class. We usually don't use target painters in the BASIC class, so don't choose a Vigil. Once you've chosen a type of ship, buy at least two of them, three if you can afford it.
  8. Buy afterburners - Each of your ships will need an afterburner. For certain ships, this doesn't give optimal combat performance, but it's the right choice for most. There are a number of training exercises where the instructor will say "turn on your afterburner" - not having one means you miss out on some of the educational value. Don't buy or fit microwarp drives, when we say 'afterburner' we mean 'afterburner'. If you feel like fitting named, t2 or faction afterburners, then go for it. Just remember that in 0.0, the real question is not 'if' you lose your ship, but 'when'.
  9. Buy midslot and lowslot items - Have a look at the recommended modules and try to collect the full set. If you've chosen a ship that gets a bonus to ewar modules (Crucifier, Griffin, or Maulus) make sure you have all the modules from that ship grants a bonus to. (Tracking disruptors, ECM varieties, or sensor damps, respectively.)
  10. Buy highslot items - The midslot items are vitally important to a Hydra fleet, so you buy those and make sure you can fit them before you look at fitting weapons. Be aware that different midslot items require different amounts of CPU - don't be afraid to use lighter-caliber guns to make sure you can equip your ewar. (If you're loaded with cash, consider buying a mixture of gun calibers so that you can maximise your punch once the ewar is finalized during the class. Similarly, named modules can help, if you can afford to lose them.)
  11. Buy ammunition - 400-1000 rounds per ship should see you through nicely. If possible, bring an ammunition type that gives you an optimal range around 6km and one that gives an optimal range greater than 15km.
  12. Gather everything at the class location - Gather your ships and modules at the class location. This location varies depending on where Agony is operating at the time, make sure you read the class description to find out where it starts! Some classes are held on the test server. If your class is based on the test server it will plainly say so in the booking thread.
  13. Fit out your ships and insure them - Set up your ships with identical fittings in every slot and get the platinum insurance on each. During the class, you're reasonably likely to be asked to change your fittings around, but you may as well make certain that there's at least one configuration that works.
  14. Set your medical clone to the class location - In the unfortunate event that you do get podded, waking up 50 systems away from the class would ruin your evening.
  15. Configure your overview and your graphics settings - Follow the configuration instructions that are a part of the BASIC course material. Yes, you really do need to turn off your sound and effects, and you really do need to set up your overview so that you can't see anything beyond the essentials. If you don't do this and you're lucky, your overview will be cluttered and you might cause a friendly fire incident. If you're unlucky, your client will crash when you jump into a system full of hostiles.

Attending Class

Ok, it says the class is at 0200 Eve Time on Sunday... when the heck is that?!

You know the little clock on your EVE UI ingame when you're docked (usually lower left)? That's Eve Time, Icelandic local time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The easiest way to figure out what time the class is in your time is to figure out how you're offset from GMT and then count back (or forward) from the planned classtime.

For instance, if you're in US Central time zone in winter time (non-daylight savings time), GMT is +6 hours. So, count back 6 hours from the class time. The class starts at 2000 hours US Central, which is 8 PM. We passed midnight, so it's 8 PM Saturday, not Sunday.

An alternative method is to set up a second clock on the Windows desktop to show Icelandic GMT OR simply look in the lower left corner of EVEMon for the current EVE Time.

In any case, make sure you adjust the announced class time for your time zone. Classes are ALWAYS announced in EVE Time.

I'm here! Now what do I do?!

Just make sure you're in the Agony Public channel and connected to our Teamspeak server on time. Stay docked and follow the instructions of the instructor and class administrator. Class will start on time, and we'll pick up stragglers until it's time to undock and start practical exercises. At that point anyone left behind gets to come back for the next class.

Let’s start shooting people!

Wait! We at Agony love shooting people, but make sure you’re familiar with our Rules of Engagement, which you can find HERE!

In particular, note that you MAY NOT FIRE on another student on the course whatever the circumstances! Get this one wrong and bad things will happen.


The Caldari/Gallente Hate Me! Or I'm a Criminal and can't get to High-Sec!

If you can't safely get into the Class High-Sec Start System, then there are ways around this. Training Diplomacy is highly recommended if your problem is factional police chasing you. You need to get your Faction Standing above -5 to get them to stop shooting you.

Doing the theory with an alt is another common strategy. Use one of your alt character slots (or another account if you have one). Let your instructor/class admin know beforehand. The theory section in high-sec is brief, but important and practices some basic maneuvering. Most of this can be done in a basic ship with minimal skills. Fitting an afterburner is probably the most vital of the skills. You can change to your main when the class enters low-sec.

Keep your main in a nearby low-sec system, with all your combat ships and your medical clone. That way if you lose your ship or pod, you can easily regroup from there. There will be some differences in your alt's skills and ship handling abilities, so you may need to adjust your orbit distances a little when you change to your main.

After The Class

OMG That rocked! I wish there was someone I could thank for this!

You’re in luck! Agony pilots are not paid and give up their own PvP time to teach you. Classes take an enormous amount of effort, planning and preparation. Agony Unleashed provides this service because we enjoy teaching others our love of PvP.

So, make sure you thank your instructors and FC’s! Usually a feedback thread will be started after the class where we ask for your views on what went well, what you enjoyed, and what you’d like to see done differently. Please take the time to give us your feedback!

Killmails – what are they and what should I do with them?

If you’re lucky enough to get the final blow on a target, you will get what we call a ‘killmail’. To find these, open your Character Sheet and go to the ‘Combat Log’ tab, then ‘Kills’.

If you get a killmail on one of our classes, please post this mail on our public killboard. To do this, right click the entry in your combat log and select ‘Copy Kill Information’. Then go to the Agony Unleashed website and follow the link to our Public Killboard.

Click on the ‘Post Mail’ tab, and paste the kill information you copied from your combat log. You will require a password in order to post this mail; to get this password simply ask in fleet chat during or after the class, and an Agony member will give it to you.

Now that we use a corp killboard rather than a generic one, you can post your losses too (the killboard used to get confused, now it should work fine).

I see everyone has these neat links to their classes in their sigs, can I do that??
Sure! It's even necessary for the higher-level classes that have prerequisites that you link to your past classes.

A link is created in a forum post by using the following format in your post. The first step once you are ready to edit your post is to click the link button (it looks like a chain link, next to the bold button). That will give you starter code to fill in to create the link which looks like the following:

[link=hyperlink url][/link]

From there, remove the "hyperlink url" section and put in the web address of the page you are linking. In between the "]" and the "[/link]" you enter in the text of the link. This can be a description, or the URL itself.

For example:

[link=http://www.agony-unleashed.com]Agony Unleashed Web Site[/link]

Would show in your post as:

Agony Unleashed Web Site

Now, armed with this new knowledge, this is how I would link your old course thread.
1. Open notepad or other simple text editor
2. Start your new enrollment post (helps to do this in a new window or browser tab)
3. Click the "Insert link" button to get the starter code
4. Cut and paste that code into notepad
5. Find your old course thread. You can do a search or check your post history
6. Once you have your old course thread opened, go to the first page that shows the graduate list
7. Copy the URL in your address bar and paste it over the "hyperlink url" in your notepad text
8. Find the course code from the course information, copy it, and paste it in between the brackets where the descriptor text goes
9. Once you have done this for all courses that need to be linked for the enrollment thread you are posting in, click Preview
10. Ensure that everything gets formatted correctly and test your links in the preview dialogue
11. After you have made sure everything is correct, click Submit

For example, if I wanted to attend the upcoming PVP-Wolfpacks course as an alumnus, my enrollment post would look like the following before I submitted or previewed it:

Azual - Azual Skoll (AGONY)
ALUMNI
[link=http://www.agony-unleashed.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?93573]BASIC-2103081800[/link]
[link=http://www.agony-unleashed.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?99088.0]WOLFPACKS-041920081900[/link]

And it would render like this once I posted it:

Azual - Azual Skoll (AGONY)
ALUMNI
BASIC-2103081800
WOLFPACKS-041920081900

I love you guys, do you think maybe I could fly with you again?! Again you’re in luck! Agony welcome alumni on all of our courses. Providing you have graduated a particular course already (i.e. you can’t be an alumnus for a WOLFPACKS class if you’ve only taken BASIC), you can either sign up in the enrollment thread as usual (but adding that you are an alumnus), or just ask in the Agony Public channel on the day. As long as we’re not totally overwhelmed with students, we’ll be more than happy to have you along with us!

Oh and the best part? You don’t need to pay for the class again! For more information on returning as an alumnus, read this: Alumni.

Where do I go from here?
Agony offer advanced courses, as well as a number of specialist seminars on topics from Capital Ship Support to Interdictors. You can find out more about our classes here: Agony Empire Classes and Seminars.

Miscellaneous Q&A

If I have taken PVP-Basic, would that mean that Agony will not shoot me say 2 days after the course?

Sorry, but unless you're in Agony or in our gang, even if you took a pvp class the previous day, you're a fair target. At the end of 0.0 roams we recommend our students leave 0.0 first and then only afterwards leave the Agony fleet.

Can my corporation/alliance arrange for a private pvp course with Agony?

We will do private classes provided that you can gather sufficient number of students for the class (usually at least 40-50 pilots). We will not run a private class for just 5-15 people as it is not worth the amount of time and also makes certain parts of the class 0.0 roam difficult to perform. If your alliance or corp knows several friendly alliances or corporations in your area, then you can pool pilots and ISK together and contact Gizznit Malikite to arrange for a private class.

Can you guys teach anything other than frigs and destroyers? How about battleships?

Currently, our classes focus on the use of frigates, destroyers, and battlecruisers as the foundation of pvp. We are currently developing a new cruiser-based class and reworking our skirmishing/scouting seminar into a class. The foundational notion of PVP-U was that new players can jump into a frigate or a destroyer and, with some basic knowledge, be very effective in pvp without requiring mass amounts of skill points, money, or experience, all of which are required to different degrees when pvp'ing with heavier ships.

I already know how to PvP - can I skip PVP-BASICS and take other classes?

Even if you know most or all of the material, all students are required to take PVP-BASIC. Many have said before that they knew everything only to be surprised that they learned a thing or two in PVP-BASIC. Even if you know the basics of PVP, you must still learn the protocol and battlecoms of how our gangs operate in 0.0.